For Propriety's Sake
by Avonmora
Summary: Perhaps Boromir could have survived the terrible incident with the Uruk-hai.  What would have happened to him afterwards if he had and would he be able to share his life with anyone after all of the trauma involving the quest and the Ring? Boromir/OC
1. Chapter 1

Here is my new LOTR story. I do not own any original characters or places. After my last story ended sadly a romantic story with a happy ending was requested. Hopefully this works out!

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><p>For Propriety's Sake<p>

Chapter One

I sat in my corner of the Houses of Healing as night fell over Minas Tirith. It had been an uneventful shift for me with only a few people coming in with minor injuries.

I had taken over for one of the older healers as the sun was setting and no one was in the Houses. I had pulled out a book that I had gotten from the huge library in the Steward's palace. Denethor appeared to be a cold, hard man, but he was very generous to his citizens.

Just as I was getting to the exciting part of my story the door banged open and five men came barreling into the Houses. Four of the men were carrying one larger man.

"Miss! Help us please!" One man exclaimed.

I threw my book aside and hurried to the group. "Lay him on the bed," I instructed.

"What happened?" I asked, bustling around. I had seen blood caked on the man's tunic. I found a knife and went back to the bed.

"While we were on guard duty we saw a boat floating down the Anduin and as it got nearer it seemed to have a body in it. He has several wounds, it would seem form orc arrows," one man informed me

I cut the tunic open and blanched at what I saw. The man's chest was completely mangled. There were three distinct wounds on his chest and stomach. It was also clearly visible that the poison that was common on orc arrows had spread through his veins. He blood steam would be severely polluted.

"Do you know this man?" I asked.

The men looked at me, confused for a brief moment.

"Lady, this man is the Steward's eldest son. This man is the Lord Boromir," one man said slowly.

I had heard many tales of Denethor's eldest son. He was supposed to be courageous, kind, and his father's pride and joy, a true golden boy.

I had seen the other son sever times whilst walking around Minas Tirith. He always looked grieved and tormented. He clearly didn't have the Steward's love as his brother did.

"How could you not have known that?" Another man demanded harshly.

I glanced at the men as I went to retrieve a few ingredients for an antidote. "I am new to Minas Tirith, forgive my ignorance."

I put a special herb in a small bowl along with a chalky mineral that could only be found in the Glittering Caves. Crushing them into a fine powder I added a little strong liquor. That mixture was one of the first I had been taught when I began working in the Houses.

The threat in the East grew stronger every day and men had been brought into the Houses with wounds from arrows or blades that been covered in a new, terrifying poison. The antidote that I had mixed up was, so far, the most effective anyone had discovered.

When I had it beaten into a thick paste I dipped my fingers into the mixture and approached the unconscious man. I gently probed my fingers into the wounds. It was most important to get the antidote as deep into the wound as possible. If the victim survived the first few days and regained consciousness the procedure would be very painful.

The other men all stood back, watching me like hawks as though I might try to harm the beloved son of Gondor. When I finished with the ointment I found some sheets of white gauze. In the beginning of such an injury it was especially important that the wound should not be bound tightly and for some time be exposed to fresh air.

In the rush of activity I hadn't had time to study my newest patient. The Steward's eldest son was easily the most important patient I had ever tended to. That aspect alone put tremendous pressure on me to make sure this man lived.

As I looked at him I understood why he was so liked by all of Minas Tirith. His broad, handsome face spoke of his nobility and courageous deeds. He was powerfully built and larger than the average man. If he hadn't been built so sturdily he would never survived such a devastating incident.

Just as I was laying the sheets of gauze over Boromir's stomach and chest the door flew open again. My head snapped up and I saw the Steward himself along with a few of his attendants.

The older man flew to his son's side and knocked me out of the way roughly. If one of Boromir's rescuers hadn't caught me I would have been sprawled on the ground

"Boromir!" Denethor cried. "Not Boromir, not my son." The man quickly became hysterical. "Valar don't take him from me. Take anyone else," he pleaded with the gods. "He is too young and strong and good to be gone so soon."

The Steward finally gathered himself enough to look at the group behind him. "Where is the Healer?" He demanded craziness evident in his eyes.

I stepped forward. "I have tended to the Lord Boromir," I said meekly.

"You?" He spat incredulously. He looked past me to his attendants. "Fetch Eldacar. Tell him it is urgent and that I do not trust his apprentice with such an important matter as the line Steward's line of succession." Denethor looked at me with contempt before going back to his son.

In my short time that I had been employed in the Houses no one had every treated me ungratefully. They were always more than satisfied with what I had done for them or a family member. I had a good record and no one had ever come out worse for the wear after being in my care. Denethor had looked at me like I was the most insignificant, worthless being in all of Middle-Earth, unworthy even to kiss his son's boot.

Within a quarter of an hour the attendant returned with a harried, tired looking Eldacar. He was the most experienced Healer in Minas Tirith and had been the one to teach me the ways of healing.

The older Healer surveyed the man on the bed. "My Lord, my colleague," he said. He smiled inwardly that he didn't refer to me as his apprentice. "Has done everything that I would have done in this exact situation." Eldacar held his hand out to me. "And I believe she was just about to cover the wound."

I handed over the gauze. Denethor looked back at me, but deemed an apology beneath him.

"Is there nothing else that can be done?" Denethor asked the hysterics still slightly in his voice.

"Now it is up to Lord Boromir. His recover will be dependent upon his own determination and strength."

Denethor nodded. Eldacar stepped away from the bed to give Denethor privacy with his son. He pulled me away from the group and spoke quietly. "I shall stay here tonight and tend to Denethor." I nodded. "He won't give you any more problems. Come back tomorrow afternoon."

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><p>There you have it! It was kind of short, I know, but they won't always be so short. <strong>Please review! I'm open to ideas or anything else you have to offer!<strong>

Happy reading,

Avonmora


	2. Chapter 2

These first couple of chapters have been sort of short, I'm hoping they'll get longer as the plot gets a little more meat to it. Anyways enjoy!

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><p>Chapter Two<p>

I returned the next day and sat near Lord Boromir's bed throughout my entire shift. Again that day no one with pressing injuries came in. The son of Gondor didn't move at all while I was presiding over him and several times I put a hand near his nose just to be sure he was still breathing. I would be loathe to report that he had passed on during my shift.

My next two shifts during the next couple of days passed as the first one had. I sat in the Houses, reading near the Lord Boromir and taking care of the few other people who entered needing stitches or a sling. No excitement occurred and after the third day of Boromir's unconsciousness I feared he might not pull through his injury.

On the fourth day, I returned to the Houses of Healing just as I had since Boromir arrived. When I entered the Houses I saw the Steward Denethor kneeling, not sitting in a chair, next to the bed. His head was bowed and I could see his shoulders visibly shaking.

Eldacar met me in the doorway. "The Steward has been here for a while now and I don't think he plans on leaving anytime soon. Will you be okay with him?"

I nodded. "I shall be as unobtrusive as possible."

Eldacar gave a small smile. "He shouldn't be any trouble today." He glanced back at the crying man. "I changed the Lord Boromir's dressing this morning. They may require changing again soon. The poison is being drained from his blood at quite a rapid rate."

"That is good news," I smiled. The poison being rejected and expelled by his body meant progress. "I will check him when the Steward leaves."

The elder Healer left and I pulled a book out of my bag. I pulled a chair into the far corner of the room and got comfortable. The Steward's silent crying didn't bother me, but I could not resist the temptation to study the old man.

Denethor was past seventy and the lines etched onto his grey face and long, faded hair suggested he could have been older than that. His face was haggard and spoke of true misery.

When I had first arrived in Gondor the other Healers had whispered the tale of Denethor to me while we bundled herbs and rolled bandages. He had been an excellent warrior in his youth and had fended the threat in the East for many years. He spent time in many parts of Gondor and when he was older he fell in love with the Princess Finduilas of Dol Amroth. She was twenty years his junior, but I was told that it was truly a love match.

A few years into their marriage the Steward-Prince Boromir was born and he was Denethor's pride and joy. The Steward had fought off the shadow of Mordor and had time in abundance to dote on his son and heir. No one in Minas Tirith had ever seen the hardened warrior be so soft and kind as he was with his infant son.

Five years later Faramir was born. The younger brother was not born under the same circumstances as his golden older brother had been. The threat in the East was becoming more dangerous everyday and Denethor also didn't have the time to devote to his younger son. Any free time Denethor had he devoted to his wife. Finduilas had become heart sick due to the evil of Mordor. She refused to return to Dol Amroth, refused to leave her husband's side.

Five years later she died. She left behind two young sons and a destroyed husband. Denethor had never been the same after his beloved's death, except in the fact that Boromir was clearly his favorite son while Faramir would forever remain in his brother's shadow.

"Do you enjoy my library?" The Steward asked.

I snapped out of my reverie and looked at the man who was now standing by Boromir's bed.

"Oh yes, my lord. It is truly wonderful." I stood quickly to show my respect.

Denethor merely nodded and left the room. He had offered no sort of apology for our previous meeting and I realized how prideful of a man he really was. I sat back down, shocked at my most recent interaction with the Steward. I could only shake my head and return to the intriguing book from the old man's library.

I waited for almost an hour after the Steward left. I wanted to be away from his scrutinous gaze before I began to treat his son. A new batch of the antidote needed to be made and I did so carefully. If there was even the slightest imbalance of ingredients the antidote became useless and even potentially harmful.

Approaching the still man, my nose turned up. The gauze that Eldacar had applied just that morning was soaked through with a yellowish green liquid. It was the most putrid scent that smelled of rotten flesh and the lowest levels of Minas Tirith. However terrible the wounds did smell it was a good sign. The poison was being expelled from his body and his blood would be pure again.

I removed the heavy gauze. Before I could put more medicine on the man I carefully cleaned his chest and stomach off with a warm rag. The holes in Boromir's chest and stomach weren't getting any healthier and they wouldn't until his body was sure that all the poison was gone. The wounds were especially deep and wide, they would prove very difficult to recover from.

While I was applying the medicine to the second wound the man moved for the first time since he had been in Minas Tirith. I quickly took care of the lowest wound. As I was laying the clean gauze over the man's chest his grey eyes blinked open.

Lord Boromir tried to sit up, but I put a gentle hand on his shoulder to restrain him. "Where am I?" He demanded looking wildly about him.

"My lord, you are in the Houses of Healing in Minas Tirith," I responded calmly.

"No, that is impossible." His wild eyes finally landed on my own brown ones. "I was with the Fellowship, the Nine Walkers."

I nodded. "But you were wounded and luckily you ended up here, my lord." I sat down in a chair near the bed and watched as he struggled to make sense of his new situation.

"What of the others?" He asked urgently.

I shook my head. "I am afraid that I have heard no news of them, my lord." I didn't tell the Steward's son, but I actually had no real idea of what he was speaking. I heard briefly of the task he was assigned and those whom he assisted, but other than that I was completely clueless.

He didn't speak any more. Even just uttering a few sentences would be tiring to him for a while. We sat in silence until the older woman who would relieve me arrived.

"What is your name?" Boromir called to me as I gathered my things and went to leave.

"Lindy, my lord," I responded.

"That is not a Gondoran name," he stated.

"No, it is not," I stated simply and left the Houses.

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><p>Alright I hope you loved it! I know Lindy sounds like a modern name but I got it off this fantastic website: I highly recommend it if you need a Middle-Earth name. We'll be getting into where she's from very soon! <strong>Let me know what you think!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry it's been a while since I've updated. I'll do my best to make it more frequent. I hope you like it!

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><p>Chapter Three<p>

The next day I returned to the Houses and saw the Lord Boromir sitting up slightly against his pillows. I set my things down and looked around. Again there seemed to be no one but Boromir.

"I have not yet changed his dressing," an older Healer informed me. "When you do he can be properly bandaged. The poison has stopped flowing from through his blood."

I nodded and the woman left. Boromir was watching me as I moved about getting everything I would need to tend to his still raw wounds. I poured a goblet of the strong Elvish wine we used for anesthesia.

"Would you care for a drink before we begin, my lord?" I asked setting my supplies on the bedside table.

"A drink?" He asked skeptically.

"For the pain," I replied. "For this shall be painful."

"I see." He raised one eyebrow. "Have you experienced this pain before, Lady Healer?"

"Nay, I cannot say that I have. Though I have treated men in similar situations and have heard their screams and shouts of anguish." I mixed the paste up in the small mixing bowl and poured the liquor in.

"I think I shall fare alright," Boromir said.

"Then perhaps a leather strap to bite down on?" I inquired further.

He shook his head. As in all things Lord Boromir would be brave.

"Then we shall get started," I said, dipping my sanitized fingers in the medicinal paste. With my other hand I pulled the blankets away from his chest. I started with the uppermost hole and probed my fingers into it, making sure all of it was covered in medicine.

Lord Boromir cried out sharply as the strong liquor burned his flayed flesh. He continued to yelp and shout with every move I made.

"Get your fingers out of my chest!" He yelled as I worked on the second wound.

"As you wish, my lord." I did as he said and stepped away from the bed.

He was breathing heavily and not meeting my gaze. "That hurt," he mumbled grouchily.

"I warned you of the pain, my lord." I shrugged.

"Do you dare rebuke the Steward-Prince of Gondor?" Boromir demanded, indignation flashing in his eyes.

"Of course not, my lord. I was merely reminding you of my fair warning." I shrugged again.

We sat silently, at an impasse for quite some time. Boromir and I both knew that I had to finish medicating and dressing the wounds.

"Give me the wine," he finally said, admitting defeat. It must've tasted bitter on his tongue.

I quietly handed him the goblet and watched him consume its contents without a break. As the wine was that of the Elves it didn't take long for it to do its job. Boromir was looking a little tipsy and much more relaxed.

"Pray, go on." He waved his hand, attempting an imperious gesture that didn't quite turn out right in his compromised state. I had to fight back a laugh.

I stepped up to his side and finished medicating the last and lowest wound. Since the poison had all been drained from his body it was time to wrap Boromir up.

It was difficult to do as he was such a large man and he didn't have much body control, both from the wine and the lack of physical activity of late. I managed to balance his weight and wrap bandages around his broad chest.

As soon as I laid him gently on the pillows he was asleep again. I cleaned up the mess and bustled about the room going about my business in silence.

A few hours later a young mother with a crying boy of about five or six came in seeking my help. She was pressing a cloth to his bleeding forehead. I moved the cloth and saw a long cut just above his eye. I gave the woman a new cloth and instructed her to apply pressure to the cut.

I then poured a small cup of the wine and threaded a sterilized needle.

"This isn't going to taste very good, but I just need you to take one swallow. It'll make you feel better." I held the cup out to his mother.

The boy looked at it skeptically and then looked back at me. He shook his head.

"Do you see that man over there?" I gestured to Boromir. The boy nodded. "He didn't want to drink the wine either and he ended up crying out like a child. It was terribly embarrassing." I shook my head.

The boy looked back at the cup and quickly took a swallow, wrinkling his little nose.

"There you go." I smiled and waited for the wine to take effect. His head fell back on his mother's shoulder and he wasn't even alarmed when I produced the needle and thread.

"Is that Lord Boromir?" The woman asked quietly as I sewed the cut on her son's forehead.

"Yes," I replied as I knotted the thread when I was through.

"I had no idea that he was back, or injured," she said.

"No one is to know yet. He isn't well enough to deal with the frenzy that would ensue, so you must keep it a secret," I instructed.

The young woman nodded.

"There you go." I patted the little boy's knee. "That'll make a splendid scar and you know the ladies love scars," I laughed lightly as the woman carried her drowsy son out.

I cleaned up again and went to boil the bloody rags. The sooner they were put into hot water, the more likely the blood would come out.

"I heard you jesting about me earlier," the low voice rumbled. I turned around and Lord Boromir was staring at me with his sharp gray eyes. "That's borderline treason, you know?"

"Well then, my lord, I will not blame you when you have to order my hanging," I said in mock seriousness.

The man had to fight back a smile. "Very good. At least I will not have your blame on my conscience," he finally smiled and I had to smile back. It was always a good sign when patients got their sense of humor back.

Boromir continued to doze off throughout the afternoon. I had one standing appointment that he been set up before I could leave.

"Ah Dirwen, how are you feeling?" I asked when the young woman entered. She was visibly pregnant and had the distinct waddle of someone who was very close to their due date.

"I feel terrible. My feet hurt, my back aches, and I feel so heavy. I only want this baby out," she complained.

There was a low chuckle form across the room. The woman looked around quickly, thinking we had been alone. Dirwen studied the man and then clumsily attempted a curtsy.

"My Lord Boromir, I didn't see. I had no idea you were back. Forgive me for speaking of such an improper thing so boldly." Her face flushed.

Boromir waved her flustered apology away. "Do not apologize. I must commend you on bringing a child of Gondor into the world."

I led Dirwen into a private examining room. "Everything looks good, though I do think you will be back quite soon." I helped her readjust her dress and sit up.

"I fear the birth," she said in a frightened voice.

"As do all first time mothers. Dirwen, I can assure you that you are in good health. You must get in a good mind set now." I helped her off the bed and back through the Houses. "Do not worry," I said in parting.

Later, as I was sweeping the floor I could feel Boromir's gaze on me. I continued cleaning, ignoring him for the time being.

"You aren't a very squeamish woman," he observed as I washed some more bloody rags.

"If I were this would have been a very poor career choice, don't you think?" I smiled over my shoulder at him.

He laughed. "I suppose so. Do many women from your home work?" He asked.

"No, most marry and raise children," I replied, hanging the rags to dry.

"And where do you call home?" He asked cautiously.

I looked at him for a moment before answering. "I used to call Bree home, my lord."

"And marriage and children were not what you wanted?"

Just as he asked the older woman Healer entered to take over for me. I quickly gathered my things to leave. "That, my lord, is a story for another day."

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><p>I hope you all enjoyed this update! <strong>Please let me know what you think! I love opinions and ideas as well!<strong>

Happy reading,

Avonmora


	4. Chapter 4

A new update! I didn't want to keep you all waiting. Without further ado: enjoy!

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><p>Chapter Four<p>

It was customary in the Houses of Healing that after a Healer spent a week or more with patients they were allowed several days to themselves. It allowed them to keep up with families, if they had them, and attend to other personal matters, while leaving them refreshed and more able to deal with patients when they returned. During my days off I usually went to the market to get the food and other things I would need. I also cleaned my small home.

When I had first arrived in Gondor, homeless and without any money to my name, a kindly, older, widowed Healer, Reallan, had taken pity on me and allowed me to stay at her home. We made an agreement that she would let me stay with her as long as I helped her with the housekeeping duties and anything else she might need. And so I lived with her until I had saved up enough money to purchase my own home.

My home was small, with only a kitchen and a bedroom with a tiny bathroom, but I was so proud of it. It had been my first adult purchase and I had felt as though I was finally grown.

Of course, I did not completely desert my old housemate and companion. I still helped her with the upkeep of her home and we shared a meal together whenever our schedules at the Houses allowed. Reallan had become my adopted grandmother in Minas Tirith.

On my first days off after Lord Boromir had arrived I took care of my own home second and went to Reallan's first. I had purchased some food items for her and stocked them in the cupboards before dusting, sweeping the dirt from her floors, and wiping down her kitchen.

My days ended much too soon for my liking and on the morning of my first day back I rose from my bed reluctantly. After I washed and dressed I braided my long, auburn hair and then wrapped it around and around so it would not be in the way of my work. Placing a book in my bag I hauled it onto my shoulder and set out through the city to the Houses of Healing.

When I arrived I could hear shouting through the heavy door, which I pushed open quickly to discover what the disturbance in my usually peaceful environment was about.

"I have lain in the bed for nigh on two weeks!" Boromir shouted. "I am tired of it and I wish to get up and move about a bit!"

Reallan was standing resolutely by the bed, her gray hair falling from its braid and her hands on her soft hips. "I do not believe that you are ready for such an exertion, my lord."

Before Boromir could reply I dropped my bag with a thud. Both of them looked at me and Reallan came to me quickly. "Dear, he is your burden now; stubborn as an ox, that man," she muttered quietly.

"Well I shall see what I can do with him."

Reallan wrapped her cloak around her and gathered the rest of her things. "Oh Reallan, your cupboards are stocked and your house is clean," I said kindly.

"Oh thank you, dear." She kissed my cheek and then was gone, not being able to escape the Steward-Prince quickly enough.

I went over to Boromir's bed and put my hands on my hips. "What seems to be the problem, my lord?"

"I want to get out of this infernal bed," he said lamely and with much less gusto then before.

"Then get out of the infernal bed." I shrugged.

"But she said I could not." Boromir looked a bit bewildered at my comment.

"Ah, but she is not here any longer. I am and I think what the Lord wants the Lord Boromir should get." A bit of sarcasm crept into my voice.

He looked at me skeptically, unsure of how to respond to my tone. Instead of saying anything he pushed the sheets off of his legs and moved them slowly to the edge of the bed. As he stood I moved to stand near him, already knowing the outcome of his ill-fated attempt. Boromir went to take a step, but his legs were yet too weak to support him and I had to rush to brace him with my shoulder.

Groaning with the pain as I pushed him back upright and then sat him down, Boromir didn't say a word. I was sweating from the exertion of catching the large man as I silently moved his legs back onto the bed and covered him up. He crossed his arms over his bandaged chest, his pride stinging, I would imagine.

I went to work at the medicine counter as though nothing had happened. I rolled some bandages that Reallan had left unfinished and bundled some very valuable Athelas.

"You knew I could not do it," Boromir finally said, speaking more quietly than I had ever heard him.

"Perhaps, but you did not and what better way to learn your own limits, my lord?" I asked.

He remained silent and I pulled my book out and took a seat, having nothing more important to do.

"What are you reading?" Boromir asked. "A love story?"

I scoffed and lowered the book. "Hardly, my lord. It is a volume on the history of your proud city."

Boromir raised his eyebrows. "I could probably recite that for you."

"That is quite alright. I'd much rather read it myself, my lord." I tiled the book back up and Boromir was silent for a while, but it would seem that he could not hold his tongue for long.

"Why are you reading that? Surely there are more interesting books in my father's library." He continued to watch me.

"I am sure there are, my lord, but I felt that I should learn the history of my new home." I laid the book on my lap and looked at him.

"So you do not intend to return to Bree, then?" He inquired.

"I would not thing so," I replied.

"Why not?" Lord Boromir could have matched a five-year-old in his ability to question everything.

"My lord, I thought there was a strict code of propriety in Gondor. Does that not involve not prying into others' business?" I looked at him with a cheeky grin.

"Forgive me," he smiled softly at me. "I am only curious about the woman who saved my life."

"My lord, I did not save your life." I picked my book back up, but before Boromir could speak again or I could get very far in the book a couple entered the Houses and I turned to see Dirwen being supported by her young husband, Brydda.

"Oh Lindy, I am so glad it's you. I did not wish for anyone else when this happened," Dirwen said.

"Let us get you into a room," I said opening a door to a private room. Her husband paused when he saw Boromir.

"My lord," he said bowing deeply. "It is a comfort to see you again."

Before Boromir could respond to the flattery I pulled Brydda back to his senses. "Perhaps you can keep Lord Boromir company after your wife is settled in."

The man shook his head and went back to helping his wife into the room and onto the bed. He looked frightened as I escorted him to the door. "Do not fret. I will take good care of her," I promised. The man nodded and I closed the door, returning to Dirwen.

It was only the third baby I had delivered and it was by far the most difficult labor, as she was a new mother. After many house, I left the private room to inform Brydda of the birth of his son.

"Congratulations, Brydda!" Boromir exclaimed, reaching out to clap him on the back.

"Thank you, my lord," Brydda said before rushing off to see his wife and son.

It was then that I noticed the goblet in Boromir's hand. He must have asked Brydda to retrieve it for him. "What is that, my lord?" I indicated the goblet.

"A little wine. We were celebrating his good fortune." Boromir shrugged.

"That is for anesthesia and we do not have much left, my lord," I said slightly irritated.

He chuckled. "I will get you more." I sank into a chair, wiping my hands on my apron. "You look exhausted," he stated.

"Birthing a baby is exhausting work. Have you ever done it, my lord?" I asked with a weary smile.

"I cannot say that I have. Have you?" He asked. In Gondor, it was extremely inappropriate to talk about pregnancy or childbirth, especially with a man, but Boromir was drunk so I let the conversation go on.

"I have not, my lord," I replied.

"So your name is Lindy, you hail from Bree, and you have no children. That is all I know of you," he murmured drowsily.

That was all he would know has the wine put him to sleep.

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><p>There you go! I hope it was enjoyable! <strong>I have no idea what it going to happen in the next chapter, let me know your ideas! I love reviews!<strong>

Happy reading,

Avonmora


	5. Chapter 5

First off thank you for all of the reviews! They mean the world to me! Second off, I did do my research and Boromir was 41 when he died, I did not make his age up. Third off, enjoy!

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><p>Chapter Five<p>

Another month passed and word of Lord Boromir's return spread like wildfire. Luckily, there were not many other patients in the Houses. The disturbances throughout the days were countless. Many men who knew Boromir as the Captain of the White Tower came to see him.

One of his generals was the first to visit him. I stayed respectfully out of the way and made myself busy, rolling bandages and bundling herbs.

"My lord." The man bowed low at the waist. "It warms my heart to see you alive."

"Thank you, general," Boromir replied.

I listened to them talk about the state of Gondor and the War. Apparently, the outcome was looking bleaker by the day.

"It will give the men heart to know that you are alive and well, my lord," the general said warmly.

Boromir smiled. "You may tell them I will be back among them in no time."

"That will do wonders will their morale, my lord. I need to get back to them I am afraid. We have been training with a new vigor." The older man stood and bowed low again.

Boromir nodded. "I shall be joining you soon."

I turned to Boromir when the man left. "My lord, you'll be joining them soon, will you?" I arched one eyebrow.

Boromir nodded again. "Yes, I intend to lead my men again."

"From your bed here, my lord?" I asked.

He seemed to bite back his pride and sharp retort. "No. I want to try again," he said resolutely.

"Alright, then let us try again, my lord." I went to the side of the bed and held my hand out.

Boromir's huge hand enveloped mine and he slowly pulled himself up. I tucked myself under his arm and took some of his weight.

I feared I would be crushed beneath him as we slowly walked around the room. He had gained some strength back with the healing of his wounds, but we did not go far. Boromir ran out of breath and I maneuvered him to a window seat where he could lean against the stone wall and look over the city. His brow was wet with sweat, but he was smiling from his small triumph. I retrieved a cool, wet cloth and went to the window to give it to him.

When Boromir took the rag his eyes were still sparkling and his hand lingered on mine longer than necessary. I quietly cleared my throat and Boromir moved to wipe his forehead. I went back to bundling herbs and rolling bandages.

After the men of Gondor came to see their Captain the women came. The first was a tall, slender noblewoman older than me. Her thick dark hair was in a neat bun at the base of her neck and her light eyes searched the room when she entered.

When she finally found Boromir, tears, real or fake I could not tell, came to her eyes. She went to the bed where the Steward-Prince was sitting up and drew up a chair beside him. "

"Oh my lord, I was so terribly worried for you," she choked. Again, genuinely or not I could not tell.

"Lady Celille, you should not worry so for me," Boromir replied with a light laugh.

"Oh, but I could not help myself. I could only think of you and pray for your safety, my lord." The women seemed terribly upset.

"Well I am safe now and on the mend, I assure you." There was still a smile playing on Boromir's lips as I noticed from my corner where I was mixing his next batch of medicine.

"It will bring great joy to my heard to see you back at court, my lord." Lady Celille dipped a low curtsy, strategically displaying her bosom. It would seem the ladies of Gondor could be quite tactful, using tricks to display what the bolder women of Middle-Earth did with no reservations.

"Quite the actress, is she not?" Boromir asked with a roguish grin when the woman left. I could barely contain my laughter.

At first I thought it odd the amount of emotion the noblewoman had showed. In Gondor such things were not done. However, as more women came to visit the Steward-Prince I realized that these women would do anything to win the man's heart if it meant being wife to the next Steward of Gondor.

After that day, dozens of other women came to see Lord Boromir. I saw tall women and short women, slender women and plump women, girls younger than me and older women who feared the title of "old maid." They all gave the same speech and show as the Lady Celille had and I had to fight the terrible urge to laugh during each somber meeting.

As the sun fell below the horizon one night and the last noblewoman left, I glanced at Boromir.

"So many have come to pay their respects to you and silently bid for the position of your wife. How shall you ever choose, my lord?" I asked with a sarcastic smile.

"Oh I should thing the answer is obvious," Boromir said with a jesting twinkle in his grey eyes. "I shall pick the woman with the most pleasing face and the emptiest head."

I burst out laughing and he joined in. "Oh that is terrible, my lord," I finally managed to get out.

"What else could a man want in a wife?" He asked easily.

I chose to refrain from answering.

-ooooOoooo-

The next day in the early afternoon, Dirwen brought her son in for me to make sure he was progressing as he should be. They had named the baby Eradan, for Brydda's father she had informed me, and the last time I had seen him he had been perfectly healthy. The baby was gurgling from his bundle and I had to smile. Dirwen noticed Boromir and dipped him a curtsy. He smiled kindly back at her.

"Dirwen how is he?" I asked.

"There have been no problems." She had the tired smile of a young mother, proud, but exhausted.

I held out my arms and she gratefully handed him over. "Well he is considerably heavier," I laughed. Adjusting his blanket, I found one of his feet and tickled the bottom of it. Eradan jerked his leg and gave me a gummy smile.

I removed the blanket completely and also took off his dress. All Gondoran children wore the same style of dresses until the girls were old enough for dresses like their mothers and the boys for breeches.

Eradan stretched and wiggled in his new freedom and I poked and prodded his abdomen and listened to his breathing.

"Dirwen, he is one of the healthiest babies I have ever seen." I dressed and re-bundled the infant in my arms. He began to doze off when the blanket surrounded him again.

Boromir, who had amazingly been silent throughout the proceedings, had finally spoken up. "Do you mind if I hold him?" He asked looking at Dirwen.

Dirwen looked startled that such an important person would want to hold her son. "No, of course not, my lord. Go right ahead."

I stood and went to deposit the baby in his arms. I was startled as well, not thinking that Boromir would be the type to coo over infants. "Have you ever held a baby, my lord?" I asked quietly as he reached out to take the bundle.

"I am afraid I have only ever held a sword." He smiled as he cradled the infant to his chest.

Dirwen was clearly enjoying the break and we both looked at the Steward-Prince. I do not know what it was, but something about the proud, renowned warrior cradling the tiny babe tugged at my heart.

"Brydda will be home soon and will probably be afraid," Dirwen laughed, standing to retrieve her son from Boromir.

"Thank you for allowing me to hold your son," Boromir said with a gracious smile.

Dirwen smiled, awestruck again, dipping a curtsy before leaving.

I raised an eyebrow at Boromir when the pair left.

"What?" He asked.

"Are there not rules regarding men holding infants in public, my lord?" I asked.

"Well I suppose, but we are in the Houses of Healing and all things should be acceptable for the sake of recovery," he said with a grin.

I laughed softly. "I will agree to that, my lord."

-ooooOoooo-

A few days later as I finished tending to Boromir's slowly healing wounds a messenger came in. "Lindy Delling?"

"That is me," I replied wiping my hands on my apron.

"I have a letter for you." The young man handed me the paper and I quickly opened it and read it. As I read a huge smile graced my face.

"Good news?" Boromir asked.

"I have a niece, my lord," I replied, looking up at him. I would not have normally spoken to a man about such things, but Boromir and I had already broken such conventions. "My sister had a daughter."

"Is she older than you?" Boromir asked.

I shook my head. "Younger actually, my lord. She has seen eighteen summers."

Boromir looked a little bewildered. "And if you do not mind my asking, how old are you?"

"Twenty, my lord."

Boromir laughed out loud. "Well I must say you come off much older. Twenty summers make me feel like an old man."

I looked at him, waiting for him to offer up his own age.

He chuckled. "I am forty and one."

I had known he was much older than me, but was not quite expecting such a gap. Clearly living the life of a soldier forced one to remain young. We were both silent for a while.

"What is your sister's name?" He asked.

"Edi, my lord," I replied, setting the letter down.

"And the baby?"

"The baby's name is Avi, my lord," I responded.

Boromir smiled. "I do love the names of Bree."

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><p>I hope you liked the update! <strong>Let me know what you think! I love your reviews, they truly make my day!<strong>

Happy reading,

Avonmora


	6. Chapter 6

Here is Chapter Six. I tried to make it a little longer. I hope you like it!

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><p>Chapter Six<p>

Boromir, being the healthy specimen of a man that he was, recovered rather quickly after he had first began to walk again. I only had to help him for a few weeks before he was doing it on his own. After that he challenged himself everyday by walking a little further than he had the day before.

One day he walked into the room where all of the supplies were stocked and I thought I would surely tear my hair out.

"What is this for?" He asked, peeking around the doorframe holding a bundle of herbs in his large hand.

"It is put in tea to ease aches and pains," I replied.

"And this?" A moment later he was looking out with a jar of bluish past in his hand.

"It is for burns, my lord." I looked up from the bandages I had been rolling.

Boromir continued quizzing me on the contents of the store room until there was clearly a note of irritation in my responses.

He came out and stood next to me at the counter. "I am sorry I am bothering you," he said earnestly.

I sighed. "You are not bothering me, my lord," I said quietly.

"It is only that I am not used to being so useless." He looked down at me and I met his grey eyes with my green ones.

I slid a stack of bandages toward him. "Well then, my lord, make yourself useful." I continued working and could feel him watching my hands. Eventually he tried to mimic my movements with his larger, clumsier hands.

It was silent for a while, but as usual, Boromir could not hold his tongue for long.

"Did you come to Minas Tirith with anyone?" He asked. "Your father or brother perhaps?"

"No, my lord. For one, I do not have a brother. Only my younger sister."

His hands stopped working and looked at me. "You came alone?"

I laughed. "Does that surprise you, my lord? I took my father's horse and left in the middle of the night."

"Yes it surprises me. I know very few women who would do such a thing," he said. "Why did you do it?"

"Why does anyone ever run away?" I smiled softly. "A broken heart of course."

I leaned over and moved Boromir's hands away from the bandages. "My lord, you have certainly made a mess of this."

Before Boromir could respond, the door flew open and huge crowd of men came in. There were about half a dozen being carried and a few that could support themselves, all accompanied by a handful of unscathed men.

"What happened?" Boromir demanded.

"An orc skirmish in the East," one of the soldiers replied.

The injured men were deposited in the empty beds and I began to think of a plan of action. I was working alone, but needed help.

"My lord, can you help me?" I asked.

"Of course, just tell me what you need." Even the Captain of the White Tower had once been a regular soldier and Boromir slipped into the role of inferior surprisingly easily.

I went to check the severity of the injuries. "I shall need a pail of hot water, several rags, a mixing bowl, and a few bundles of Athelas from the back," I said over my shoulder.

I silently thanked the heavens for Boromir's childlike curiosity and his explorations of the Houses. He would remember where everything was and be an efficient assistant.

"Help the Lord Boromir, please," I said to the able men. They quickly followed the Steward-Prince and took orders from him. The injured men were moaning and I tended to them as soon as Boromir brought the medicine.

A few hours later everyone had been tended to and most of them were sleeping or at least lying quietly. I was letting the bloody rags boil and had taken a seat to rest.

Boromir had disappeared into the back of the Houses and I let him do his wandering because I was too tired to do otherwise. He came out and to my surprise was holding a steaming mug. He pulled up a chair close to mine. "It has been a while since I have made tea," he said faintly apologetic.

He held the mug out to me, but did not let go when I wrapped my fingers around it. His eyes met mine with such intensity that I had to look away. He finally released his grip and I took a drink.

"It is very good, my lord, thank you." I smiled weakly.

I believe Boromir sensed my weariness for he let us remain in silence until Eldacar came to take my place.

"It looks as though you've been busy," the older man said, looking around, not even having to ask any questions.

"Incredibly," I replied standing to leave. I set my mug down and gathered my things. As I walked out I could feel Boromir's eyes scorching a hole in my back.

-ooooOoooo-

After the episode with the wounded men it was again my turn to have a few days off. I spent them much as I normally did, attempting to get a little extra sleep.

When I went back to the Houses, I was surprised to find that Boromir was no longer there.

"I released him," Eldacar said simply. "He was doing so much better and I fear we shall soon need all possible beds." He wrapped his cloak around him. "His father wanted him back in the palace as well, so I was overruled regardless."

"Of course," I nodded.

The first day without Boromir constantly chattering was very strange. The man, though an odd pair we made, had become my companion. I spent that first day in near complete silence, not having anyone to talk to except the few remaining soldiers. They were not very talkative.

After a few days Boromir came back. In his official attire he was much more striking than when he was bedridden.

"Ah, Lindy." He smiled. "I was hoping you would be here as I did not get to say goodbye before," he said.

"My lord, it is good to see you," I said politely, trying not to show how happy I really was.

"I am supposed to be having my bandages changed."

"Well then tunic off, my lord." I washed my hands and turned around to work on him. Merely looking at him nearly knocked me backwards. He was stunning in his virility and I was taken aback. I carefully unwrapped the bandages from around his barrel-like chest, trying not to touch his bronze skin more than necessary.

Taking care of a near invalid was one thing, but dealing with a fully functional Boromir was another. Color rose to my cheeks as his whole chest was exposed. I picked up the same medicinal paste I had been using and slathered it on the ever-healing wounds.

"I believe this is how we got a first good idea of each other," Boromir chuckled, his chest vibrating under my hands.

"I am very grateful that you refrained from having a temper tantrum today, my lord," I replied with a cheeky grin.

Boromir's roar of a laugh rumbled out of him and I had to join in, it was contagious like most things in the Houses.

"You hurt me." He smiled.

"Your pride is what was really injured, my lord. If I recall correctly I gave you a fair warning," I said.

I began to wrap his chest tightly with clean bandages.

"You did give me a fair warning he admitted.

I fixed the loose end of the bandage and handed Boromir his tunic.

"Lindy?" He asked.

"Yes, my lord," I replied after rinsing my hands in a basin of cool water.

"Would it be alright if I stayed here for a while? I am not needed by my father for anything." He adjusted his dark tunic and ran a hand through his hair.

"Who am I to stop the Lord Boromir?" I asked with a smirk.

He stayed much longer than what I considered "a while." The soldiers were happy to speak to him and even I was glad to have him back. He tried to help with a few menial tasks, but eventually gave up and served as my conversation once more.

While Boromir was my patient I had forgotten how silent the Houses could be. I had taken his company for granted and having him back was like seeing the sun after a long period of darkness.

As I spent that afternoon around him I understood why his soldiers would follow him anywhere. His sheer size spoke for him, saying he would face may foe without fear. If he didn't want to be he was not harsh or intimidating, but kind and humorous. I found, later that night, that my cheeks and stomach hurt from laughing and smiling so much.

Reallan came after the sun fell to take the night shift and Boromir was still standing by my side as I boiled some Belladonna for the soldiers who were still in pain.

"Lord Boromir." She curtseyed. "Are you a Healer now?" She asked with a smile.

"I am afraid not. My hands do not have nearly the skill required," he replied. "I actually stayed here because I find Lindy's company very intriguing."

My cheeks flushed and Boromir only gave a simple smile.

"She is quite an intriguing young woman," Reallan agreed.

I quickly gathered my things and wrapped my shawl around my shoulders. "Goodnight, Reallan."

"Goodnight, Lindy," she chuckled. "My lord." She nodded respectfully to Boromir.

"Good, my lord," I said when we had departed the Houses.

"I thought I might walk you home." He held out his arm to me.

I looked at him for a moment. "I can manage, my lord," I replied finally.

"Lindy, I could not live with myself if something were to happen to you and I was not there to prevent it," he said earnestly.

I chuckled. "My lord, amazingly enough I have walked myself home every other night since I have lived here, not to mention the days long ride from Bree that I made on my own."

Boromir looked at me seriously. "Humor me."

I sighed and put my hand on his large arm. He covered my hand with his much larger one and we set off.

As usual, Boromir chattered on and on during the walk to my home and I smiled and laughed as I had all day in his company.

We finally came to my modest home, but I could not feel any shame in it as Boromir did not seem to notice it at all.

"On a more serious note, Lindy," Boromir moved so he was standing in front of me. "My father is hosting a feast for my recovery. I was hoping that you would be attendance as you are the only reason I am recovered at all."

"My lord, many other Healers tended to you as well," I insisted,

"Perhaps, but you were my favorite." He grinned.

"I could not go. I do not belong at such an occasion, my lord." I shook my head.

"Someone once said 'what the Lord Boromir wants the Lord Boromir gets.' Was that you?" He asked, his grey eyes glinting in the dim light.

I sighed. Before I could even voice the face that I had nothing to wear, Boromir was quicker. "Do not worry about a dress. It is the least I can do."

He took my hand in his and, like a whisper, brushed his lips against it. Without another word he had turned on his heel and was walking back through the city.

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><p>Thank you for reading! I would love to know what you think!<p>

Happy reading,

Avonmora


	7. Chapter 7

I'm sorry it has been so long! I have been so busy with the last couple weeks of my high school career! In hopes of forgiveness I tried to make this chapter a little longer! I hope you enjoy!

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><p>Chapter Seven<p>

A few days later, during my time off, a loud knock sounded through my small house. I had been in the process of braiding my hair to go to the market, but I let it hang loose when I answered the door, thinking that no one of importance would be at the door.

However, I was wrong. Boromir stood on the other side of the door. I tried to gather my hair in my hands as there was nothing as unacceptable for a Gondoran woman than to have her hair down, except for appearing in public visibly pregnant.

"My lord, I am not presentable," I stammered.

He laughed out loud. "Nonsense." Boromir held out the box he had been holding. "I brought you something."

I took the box. I did not know if I should invite him into my home or not. Such behavior was not acceptable between noble, unmarried people, but then I was not noble.

"Would you like to come in?" I finally asked.

"I would love." He strode in and looked around.

"It is not much," I said, embarrassed for the first time of my house. The man that stood in front of m e was used to huge, intricate palaces. Compared to his style of living mine definitely had its short comings.

Boromir smiled down at me. "I like it." He gestured to the box I held. "Are you going to open it?"

"Oh, of course." I set it on the counter and began to undo the twine bindings. When it was opened I saw a beautiful sapphire pendant lying on deep green fabric. I moved the necklace and pulled the dress out.

"If it does not fit I wrote down the name of the seamstress who made it for me. She can help." He was smiling at me broadly. "It was mostly guesswork on my part."

Seeing the beautiful, expensive gown and gorgeous jewel put fresh doubts in my mind. "My lord, I am not so sure I can attend your feast," I said quietly.

"Why not?" Confusion came over his handsome face. "Are you busy?"

I shook my head. "For propriety's sake, my lord." He only stared at me. "I do not belong at such an occasion. I have no noble blood and will be completely out of place."

"Do not be ridiculous, Lindy," he said. "I want you there."

"Only because I helped you when you were injured. That is my job, my lord, nothing more," I argued.

"Stop calling me 'my lord.' I have grown to hate it coming out of your mouth. My name is Boromir," he sighed. "I want you there because I have grown to enjoy your company. You differences make you such a refreshing companion." Boromir took a step closer to me, closing the space between us in the small kitchen.

I was frozen in my place. Boromir towered over me, the top of my head barely matching his shoulder. He was twice as broad as me.

"I want you to come because I could not think of anyone else that I would rather spend the evening with," he whispered. His large hand brushed a piece of my hair behind my ears, grazing my cheek as he did so.

Before I could protest or move away Boromir was bending towards me. My eyes closed of their own volition. His lips landed on mine tenderly and his one hand was on my cheek. It was bliss as I let all of my feelings come out from the back of my mind where I had hidden them. I wanted more than Boromir was giving me and I pulled away.

"I am sorry, Lindy. I do not know what possessed me. That was terribly brash." He ran a hand through his dark hair.

"No my lord, something like this would have been brash." I put my small hands on his hard chest and pushed him backwards so that he was sitting on the kitchen table. It put him at a much more advantageous height.

My arms twined around his neck and I stepped between his long legs, pressing myself against him. His large hands slid down my back, scorching through my dress as they went.

I nibbled his lower lip and his tongue found mine. Our chests collided in their fervent rising and falling, trying to breathe without breaking the contact our mouths had made.

Finally, Boromir broke the kiss. One of his calloused hands was in my unbound hair. "Brash indeed," he muttered, pushing my long auburn locks behind my ear.

I stared at the floor, my cheeks flushed. It had been a good long while since I had felt passion I had then. There was a distinct difference with Boromir though. The difference being that I should never have let him kiss me. He was so far above me and even daydreaming about the Steward-Prince was inappropriate for someone on my level of society in Minas Tirith.

With the breaking of the kiss I got my wits back and realized what I had just done. Lord Boromir kissing me was one matter, but me kissing him, especially in the manner that I did, was unacceptable.

"I thought I said to stop with the 'my lord' rubbish," Boromir said.

I eventually looked back at him. He was still sitting on the table, his hands planted on either side of him, and he was smiling softly at me.

"Forgive me," I said quietly.

"Come here." Boromir held a hand out to me. When I put my hand in his he pulled me so that I was standing between his legs again. "What is the matter now?"

"I really should not have done that." I could not meet his grey eyes.

"Perhaps not," he agreed. "But I do not regret that you did."

Boromir stood and I had to lean my head back to look at him. "I need to get back," he said. Bending over me he gave me one last, sound kiss on the lips before stepping around me and leaving my house.

I nearly fell into a chair and began running my hands through my hair nervously. My eyes caught sight of the sapphire pendant on the counter and my stomach rolled over.

-ooooOoooo-

"What am I doing, Reallan?" I asked the older woman, who was brushing my hair.

"I am not sure," she responded quietly. "But Lord Boromir has requested your company."

"I do not belong among those people!" I exclaimed nervously.

"Lindy, Lord Boromir wants you there. Perhaps you do not belong there, but he has looked past that." Reallan began to twist my hair into a tight bun at the base of my neck.

"What do I do? I have no idea how to behave. The only nobles I have ever been around were in the Houses visiting Lord Boromir."

Reallan sighed. "Just as you were then, you should try to be as unobtrusive as possible."

I got to my feet and slipped the dress over my head. Reallan fastened the pendant around my neck. She held a small looking glass up for me and the woman who peered back at me was completely unrecognizable.

-ooooOoooo-

After the feast, during which I had sat obscurely at a back table, music started up and many couples took their place on the dance floor. I watched, entranced, their intricate dancing and complicated foot movements.

Lord Boromir, after a few songs had played, stood from his place at the high table and I discreetly watched him make his way around the dance floor. Honestly, I felt a little irritated when the woman from the Houses, Lady Celille, stepped in front of him, curtseying low. She seemed to be asking the Steward-Prince to dance, but he waved her away.

When I realized he was heading for me my irritation turned to panic. In that instant I wished Lady Celille had succeeded in getting Boromir to dance. My heart beat hard in my chest and my palms began to perspire.

"Care to dance?" Boromir asked when he was standing over me.

I shook my head. "Oh no, I could not. I do not know the steps." I refrained from adding 'my lord.'

"They are simple steps, Lindy." He smiled. "Just let me lead."

"I really cannot. You said this was a feast," I insisted.

The music slowed a little. "Look now, the steps for this one are much simpler." He took my hand and hauled me to my feet. "Call it rehabilitation for me."

I sighed knowing I would never win the argument. "If you feel up to it. Anything for the sake of recovery." I smiled nervously, allowing myself to be led onto the dance floor among the other dancers.

Boromir did not hold me very close as that was not customary in Gondor. I kept my eyes on the floor, praying to everything holy that I would not stomp on his feet.

"Look up here," he instructed. "Do not fret. I have suffered worse than a sore foot."

I laughed lightly. "I suppose you have."

"So what Lindy? Do you not have dancing in Bree?" Boromir asked with a grin.

"No, there is dancing. It is not so elegant or formal as this however." I glanced back at our feet before quickly looking back up. "It is mostly pub dancing."

The music went back to its upbeat tempo, but Boromir would not let me leave the floor. He insisted on teaching me the more intricate steps and I managed to step on his feet a handful times throughout the next few songs. He took like it a true gentleman and refrained from making any noises or complaining about my poor dancing.

Throughout our dancing I could feel everyone's eyes on us. I had expected as much. After all, everyone present knew that I was not one of them, not one of the elite. However, the Steward-Prince had taken an interest and they were curious. However, what I did not anticipate were the hostile looks that burned me like flames. The majority of those looks were from the noblewomen that I recognized from the Houses of Healing. I assumed that they recognized me as well.

Before I knew it, Boromir had maneuvered us around the dance floor close to the exit onto the veranda. He placed my hand on his arm and we walked out into the crisp night. When we got to the stone railing we were overlooking the sleeping city.

"Thank you for coming, Lindy," Boromir said. "You were a comfort to see."

"Well you see, I had this new dress and I had to wear it somewhere," I jested.

Boromir laughed out loud. "I see. But honestly I had forgotten how dreadful these occasions are, but you somehow managed to make it more interesting," he chuckled.

"You are always exaggerating what I do," I laughed lightly.

"I do not exaggerate. It is only the truth I speak."

I remained quiet and so did he for a good while.

Finally, he broke the silence. "I must return. It is rude to skip one's own party." Boromir offered me his arm. "Will you join me?"

"I think I shall enjoy the air for a while longer," I replied. He nodded and went back into the hall while I remained outside and enjoyed the respite from the staring eyes.

A little later, when I glanced over my shoulder I could see Boromir dancing with the Lady Celille. She had finally gotten her dance and seemed to be chattering on and on and he looked nothing short of miserable.

With a small smile I turned to look over the city one more time. A few moments later I felt someone's hot breath on my neck. The person smelled strongly of ale. Before I could get away there was a large hand on my waist anchoring me to the man behind me.

"If I buy you a nice new gown and pretty jewels will you warm my bed as well?" The man asked drunkenly, close to my ear. His hand slid up to cup my breast.

I brought my elbow back into his stomach hard and as he doubled over I turned and brought my knee swiftly into his groin. A woman who traveled alone must learn how to defend herself and, apparently the skill came in useful in the city as well. I quickly escaped back into the hall, looking once at the hunched over man on the veranda.

Trying to regain my composure, I walked purposefully through the hall. Boromir was nowhere to be found and I was grateful for that.

"Well if it is not another of Lord Boromir's harlots," Lady Celille said viciously to her snickering companions. I stopped in my tracks and looked at her for a moment. When I continued out the door I could hear them laughing behind me.

On the way home my mind reeled. Mostly I was angry with myself. How could I have been so clueless? What else would the Steward-Prince of Gondor want from me, a lowly Healer? Yet again I had been tricked by a man with a silver tongue. Yet again I had been blind enough to fall for kind words and generous gestures. Boromir, being who he was, would love and marry someone like Lady Celille while he would entertain himself with some poor girl like me.

When I entered my home I violently unclasped the sapphire pendant and slammed it upon the table before ripping the dress over my head and flinging it into a chair. I slammed by bedroom door behind me and fell into bed.

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><p>There you go! I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter! <strong>Please let me know what you thought! I love to know what you guys are thinking (what you liked or didn't care for ect.)!<strong>

Happy reading,

Avonmora


	8. Chapter 8

I am so sorry it has been so long since I last updated! I have been so busy with graduation and open house business! Also, before reading this chapter **I have altered a few things**: Farmir did not first go to Minas Tirith from Ithilien. He went straight to Osgiliath in this story (the city was already lost to orcs we'll say). Also, Denethor did not try to burn himself and Faramir alive. Now enjoy!

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><p>Chapter Eight<p>

I stayed mostly in my bed for the remainder of my days off. I began to feel grimy and unclean, but that was no more than how I should feel. I was sure that whores and harlots did not feel clean. Anger and shame were my constant companions during those few days.

Flashes of memory kept replaying as I lay wallowing in my own misery. The court women laughing at me, the drunken man and his roaming hands, not to mention his painful question that had brought to light my whole situation.

Then there was the extravagantly dressed up woman who I had looked at in the looking glass before I had left. I should have known then and there. That was not me. I never wanted to show my face again thinking of my naivety and plain foolishness. I was no more than a common peasant who did not know her place.

Boromir was the second highest ranked man in all of Gondor, under only his father. Needless to say he would soon be the Steward. Amazingly, I had known all of that from the beginning, but I had still lost myself in the noble son of Gondor.

He had been kind to me, not from the goodness of his heart, but because he wanted something from me. It confused me because the Steward's son could have any woman he wanted without taking the time to be kind. Looking back though, the fact that he wanted something was confirmed when he bought me such extravagant gifts. Again, I chided myself for my stupidity.

A couple times Reallan came to visit me and I told her that I was only feeling a little under the weather and that she should not worry. I would be back at the houses when I was supposed to be. Her old, wrinkled face frowned at me. She warmed me some broth and made sure that I ate every last spoonful of the bland liquid.

Two days later I was up and getting ready to return to my duties at the Houses. A terribly, biting wind was tearing through the White City, but one only had to look East, at the threatening clouds and sparking volcano, to understand why. I wrapped a soft scarf around my head to keep the wind from pulling at my hair.

As I stepped out of my house, the wind stung my exposed face and tugged at my cloak and scarf. The city was nearly deserted as everyone was trying to stay out of the cold. It should not have been cold at that time of year, but the evil of Mordor made many things unnatural.

My house was on one of the lower levels of the city and so it was quite a long trek to get to the Houses, which were near the top. As I neared the Citadel I saw a group of men walking towards it. Among them, his great size making him clearly recognizable was Lord Boromir. He seemed to be in deep discussion with the men.

As I drew nearer to them, Boromir's grey eyes came up and met mine. It was as though we were both frozen, not able to look away. He did not move to acknowledge me and I, of course, could not acknowledge him.

When his companions noticed that they had lost their Lord's attention they quickly began to look around for the reason. Boromir, not wanting them to notice me, the lowly healer, drew them back into conversation, breaking his gaze from mine.

Losing his eye contact pierced me like a wound, another wave of reality washing over me. The feeling pulled me under in the same way a strong river current might, stealing the air from my very lungs.

When the men were out of sight I reached to brace myself against the cold, stone wall. I had not seen Boromir since the feast and I had been dreading the moment when I would. I had terribly underestimated what the pain would feel like. It was so much worse.

I had fought my feelings so hard when I had first gotten to know Boromir. I had been smart then, understanding how it would never be anything, it could not. He was kind to me and it had caused my feelings to fight back against my defenses. Boromir had me feel in a way that I hadn't felt in a long time. When he had invited me to his feast I had assumed that he felt at least a fraction of what I did. I allowed my heart to soar.

Then, the next thing I knew I was standing, nearly choking, after seeing Boromir again. I could almost feel my heart cracking all over again, struggling to hold itself together. I could not understand why men seemingly only wanted one thing from me when I had so many other things to give.

I finally managed to get a grip on myself and continue on my way to the Houses of Healing. Reallan met me at the door. Her weathered face frowned at me.

"Lindy, you still do not look well." She pressed a hand to my forehead.

"I am a Healer also. I would know if I was unwell," I jested. In all reality I was fine n body. It was my heart that was unwell.

"Well, luckily it should be an easy day. The only patient we have right now is that little lad over there," Reallan gestured to a far bed.

A little boy was sleeping there. There was no one with him.

"His name is Amlaith. His mother brought him in and she was sick with the same fever that he is, but she was worse. However, she insisted that I care for her son first and so I did. While I was giving him the medicine his mother passed on." Reallan did not seem particularly distraught. Being a Healer brought one an unfortunate understanding of the reality of death.

"And his father?" I inquired.

"The woman managed to tell me that her husband was killed years ago in an orc skirmish. The boy's only living family is an uncle who is a Ranger in Ithilien with Lord Faramir." Reallan studied me with her Gondoran grey eyes. "Lindy, I can stay if you are unwell," she offered.

"Oh nonsense, Reallan. I am truly fine. Go home and relax," I assured her, shooing her out of the door. Her departure left the Houses in a deadly silence. I turned to look at the young boy lying prone in the bed.

No one else was present in the Houses and so I went to take care of the young Amlaith. I laid a cold rag on his forehead and then went to the foot of the bed. Even though the boy had a dreadful fever his small feet in my hands were nearly frozen. I rubbed his feet fervently, hoping to draw the fever away from his head. It was not uncommon for victims of extreme fevers to lose some of their sanity, if they recovered at all. It was very important to the get the fever away from the victim's head.

Days passed and still the fever did not break. I tried everything I had ever been taught and even a few old wives' remedies. Nothing worked.

The only benefit of my constant attempts was that my mind was drawn away from Boromir. I hardly had a chance to thing about the Steward-Prince in my desperation to save Amlaith's life.

Almost a full week had passed before I found the young boy covered in sweat and blinking in the sunlight. A huge smile came across my face as I slowly approached him.

"Amlaith, my name is Lindy," I said gently. "How do you feel?" I asked.

The boy looked at me for a moment. "Tired," he said. "And a little hungry."

I laughed lightly. "I think we can perhaps find you something to eat."

Suddenly, Amlaith was looking at me curiously. "Where is Mama?"

Telling someone that a loved one had passed was one of the hardest things in all of Arda to do. How do you tell a mother that her son will not be returning from battle? How do you tell a new husband that his wife and bay did not survive childbirth? How do you tell a young boy that his mama has left him behind?

"We shall worry about that after we get something to eat," I responded. Luckily the boy was still too groggy to question me further.

-ooooOoooo-

The very next day a man in a very travel-stained cloak entered the Houses of Healing. I approached him as he removed his hood. He was a handsome man, though he smelled of horses and long travels. His long hair was dirty and matted and his face was dirt streaked.

"Sir? Can I help you with something?" I asked politely.

"My name is Hallas. I was told my nephew, Amlaith, is here. That he is ill," the man said. He looked at me with dark brown eyes.

"He is here," I said, leading the man to Amlaith's bedside. "His fever has broken and he is quickly recovering."

Hallas stood quietly over his peacefully sleeping nephew. "My sister has passed on." It was a statement, not a question.

I nodded. "I had not the heart to tell him."

The man looked down at me and there was a deep sadness in his eyes. I was then struck by both curiosity and a desire to change the subject.

"Your sister said you were a Ranger in Ithilien with Lord Faramir. Did someone send word of your nephew's illness?" I asked.

Hallas nodded. "A family friend wrote to me of my sister and Amlaith being ill." He paused. "Lord Faramir was sent to Osgiliath to take back the city, but he such a compassionate man that he granted me leave to return to Minas Tirith to take care of my family," Hallas said quietly.

I nodded. "I am so sorry for your loss."

"While he sleeps I should wash my travels away. I shall be back." The tall, handsome man departed from the Houses.

-ooooOoooo-

In the next few days, Hallas was constantly in the Houses sitting next to Amlaith. He had returned in clean clothes, with combed hair, and a tamed beard. I studied the young man and guessed that he was in his late twenties or early thirties. His tanned face was weather beaten, but other than he appeared young.

The afternoon that he informed Amlaith of his mother's passing I thought my own heart would break. The boy sobbed into his uncle's chest and even Hallas shed a few tears for his lost sister. Amlaith finally cried himself to sleep as his uncle held him in his strong arms.

I met Hallas with a cup of tea when he walked away from the bed.

"I am all that poor child has left in this world," he said quietly.

"And he is lucky to have you," I replied, seeing the distraught look on his face.

Hallas shook his head. "I am not so sure."

I rested my hand on his forearm. "You truly care about Amlaith and that is all that is important." We were both looking at my small hand lying on his muscled forearm.

-ooooOoooo-

Hallas and I became quite close in the time that Amlaith was in the Houses recovering. The news of his mother's death had been a major setback to the boy's recovery. Hallas and I spent hours talking in one of the window seats while Amlaith slept quietly.

Hallas told me of his life as a Ranger and his fear of raising and being solely responsible for his nephew. I told him bits and pieces of my own life; only what he needed to know, and comforted him in his fear.

"Amlaith will need a mother figure," Hallas said one afternoon looking at me with his earnest brown eyes.

I was not completely shocked by his insinuation. I had heard of more sudden and less likely marriage proposals before. In times of war they were extremely common. I had come to Minas Tirith to start a new life. Hallas' veiled request was a realistic option for a woman of my means. Hallas as a man was quite likeable. He was kind and honest if not a little dull, but then no one is perfect.

Before I could respond or give any more thought to the matter, the door burst open and men poured in, one being carried. In the whole crowd I only saw one person and he was looking directly back at me with hard, grey eyes, taking in my situation in the window seat.

"That is Lord Faramir," Hallas said urgently as he quickly pulled me to my feet. I snapped out of my reverie and went to examine the Steward's younger son.

I tried so hard to ignore Boromir's presence as I worked on his brother, but it was near to impossible. The other men left, including Hallas, and I was left alone with him.

Faramir had two arrow wounds and perhaps the hottest fever that I had yet felt. I worked on the man, doing everything I could think of to at least get him to wake.

Boromir was pacing back and forth and pulling at his hair. He looked beyond distraught and it was only made worse as minutes passed and his brother did not even stir.

"Do something, Lindy! Fix this!" He shouted desperately at me. I jumped in fright at his sudden booming voice.

When I knew there was nothing left to try I straightened up and laid a cool rag on Faramir's forehead. "I assure you, my lord; I have done all that I can for now."

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><p>There you go! I hope you liked it! <strong>Let me know what you thought!<strong>

Happy reading,

Avonmora


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry it's been so long since the last update! I hope you enjoy this!

* * *

><p>Chapter Nine<p>

Eldacar came to take over for me shortly after Boromir's outburst. I retreated gladly and rushed out of the Houses.

Hallas was waiting just outside the door, respectfully giving the Stewards' sons a bit of privacy.

"Will Lord Faramir be alright?" He asked urgently.

I shook my head. "I cannot say. His wounds would be easy enough to recover from, but I fear a strange sickness holds sway over him."

Hallas stroked my arm. "You have done all that you can."

I wrapped my scarf around my hair and remained quiet. Seeing Boromir and being near him again was much more than I could handle. I had hoped to let my heart heal in peace and to remain away from him, but as long as Faramir was ill I knew his older brother would not be far away.

"Lindy, do you want to get something to eat?" Hallas asked, breaking the silence.

"Sure," I agreed, looking up at him. He offered me his muscled arm and I lightly rested my hand on it. He led the way through the streets to the most respectable tavern in Minas Tirith. Many pubs doubled as whorehouses, but the Golden Barrel was known only for its good food and ale.

We sat at a small table in the corner and were served ale, bread, cheese, and some salted pork. For a man who had primarily resided in the wild, Hallas had quite decent table manners.

I ate very little, but throughout the night proceeded to drink more ale than I usually did.

While I was on my second mug of ale Hallas approached his earlier, vague offer of marriage.

"I understand that my offer was sudden and that we do not know one another very well, but I feel we would make a good match." He looked at me searchingly. "What say you?"

I took a long drink. "I only ask that you might allow me some time to think over your offer. I would hate to be hasty when making such an important decision."

"Of course. I understand." Hallas smiled good naturedly at me.

Later, when I had had much too much ale he walked me back through the city. We arrived at my humble home and I fumbled with the key, unable to unlock my door.

"Allow me, Lindy." His big hands carefully took the key from me and unlocked the door, pushing it open. "Will you be alright?"

"I think so," I slurred a little.

"Goodnight Lindy." His lips were warm against my cheek as they lingered there.

As I fell into bed I did not properly appreciate the fact that any other man might now have been so chivalrous in my slightly inebriated condition.

-ooooOoooo-

The next afternoon I returned to the Houses. I thanked my lucky stars that I did not have to return that morning, as I was feeling a little unwell from the previous night.

Reallan was covering the Houses when I finally arrived. I saw that the only patients were Amlaith and Lord Faramir still. To my great displeasure, Boromir was sitting next to his brother's bed. Hallas was also with Amlaith playing with a deck of beaten playing cards.

"Amlaith seems to be feeling much better," I observed, standing back with Reallan.

"Yes, indeed he is." She nodded. "The Lord Faramir, however, is not doing so well. Eldacar says there is nothing we can do but apply medicine to his wounds. He is mystified by the sickness that has settled on Lord Faramir.' Pulling her cloak around her shoulders, Reallan looked at me. "I have applied the medicine for today so all you have to do is monitor him."

I nodded and watched her leave the Houses leaving me alone. When I moved my eyes from the door Reallan had closed I caught Boromir's steely eyes. He was surveying me, not smiling or frowning, just looking. Hallas then waved me over to Amlaith's bed.

"Well you look well today, Amlaith." I sat down and touched the back of my hand to his cheek. His fever had gone down considerably. "Do you feel better?"

"Much better," he answered.

"I think he shall be able to go home soon," I told Hallas.

"I cannot keep him here and see you every day?" He asked.

I laughed lightly. "You cannot keep him here, but you both may visit me whenever you like."

-ooooOoooo-

Soon after the sun set two more people came into the Houses of Healing. Thankfully, they were not injured or ill. One was a very old man and in the dim lighting the other appeared to be a child. However, when I drew closer I realized the shorter of the two was a Hobbit.

"Can I help you?" I asked politely.

"We seek Lord Faramir," the old man replied. I nodded and led them across the long room.

"I fear the Lord Faramir is not doing well," I said quietly as we drew up to the bed.

Boromir turned around and stared at the pair for a moment and I stepped back.

"Gandalf," Boromir said incredulously.

"Yes, it is I," the old man, Gandalf, replied.

"But you fell. I saw you fall in Khazad Dum." Boromir looked completely dumbstruck.

"So you did. But it would seem that my work on Middle-Earth is not yet complete." Gandalf smiled gently.

"You are supposed to be dead!" The Hobbit burst out.

Boromir actually chuckled. "Well, little one, it would appear that many miracles have occurred since we last saw one another."

The two newcomers were members of the Fellowship, I assumed. From their conversation I was able to put bits and pieces of what had happened together.

"So your father sent Faramir to the taken city of Osgiliath," Gandalf stated.

Boromir nodded. "I had no idea. I had greatly wanted to see Faramir, but Father continually told me that I would when Faramir was done in Ithilien, that he was doing his duty for Gondor."

Gandalf shook his head. "I must find out what ails your brother." The old man swept out of the Houses.

Boromir went back to his sullen silence and I went to sit down at a far table, taking out the bag that held my dinner. When I looked up the young Hobbit was standing by the table.

"Gandalf is always running off somewhere," he said suddenly. I noticed that he was eyeing my food hungrily.

"Are you hungry, Master Hobbit? I have plenty to share." I held out the rest of the food in the bag.

The young Hobbit sat across from me and made quick work of the rest of my dinner.

"I bet you've never seen anyone like me before," he said with a grin.

"Actually Master Hobbit, I have. I am from Bree and have lived most of my life among both big and little people," I responded with a smile.

"I was in Bree," he stated. "I stayed at the Prancing Pony. That is where we met Strider."

I did not know who Strider was. "I have had many mugs of ale in that pub," I laughed.

"It comes in pints there!" The Hobbit exclaimed.

"So it does, Master Hobbit."

He frowned and it completely transformed his face. "Please call me Pippin."

I nodded. "Then you must call me Lindy."

"Did you save Boromir?" He asked me.

"No," I shook my head. "I was merely one in the group of healers who oversaw his care when he was brought back to Minas Tirith."

-ooooOoooo-

Weeks passed and Amlaith went home with Hallas. Boromir hardly left his brother's bedside. I had a new companion though. Pippin spent a good deal of time with me. I believed it was so he could be out of the old wizard's way.

We sat down to have dinner together and to my horror Pippin invited Boromir to join us. I waited with baited breath, but the man declined to my relief.

"Is there something between you and Boromir? Perhaps something that extends beyond the Houses of Healing?" Pippin asked with a grin.

I nearly choked on the piece of cheese I had been nibbling on. "You cannot be serious, Pippin! Of course not," I exclaimed.

"It is just that when you move about the Houses I have seen him watch your movements." He looked at me with his kind brown eyes and held my gaze. "I have seen you look at him when you think no one is looking."

I laughed, but to my own ears it was false. "There is not much else to watch in here, Pippin. And as for me, I periodically check on everyone who is in the Houses."

Pippin shook his head in disbelief. "Whatever you say, Lindy."

Thankfully, our conversation was cut short as Reallan entered the Houses. "My bones are aching, Lindy," she groaned. "It is about to storm. You had better hurry home."

I nodded. "Are you leaving as well, Pippin?" I asked.

"No, I think I shall keep Boromir company for a while," he responded.

I left the Houses and was met outside the door by Hallas and Amlaith.

"We could not let you walk home alone in such foul weather," Hallas smiled.

I took his arm gratefully and we headed down through the levels of the city.

"I do not mean to rush you, Lindy, but what have you come up with regarding my proposal?" Hallas did not look down at me; instead he kept his eyes forward.

I took a deep breath as we approached my door. "You have been so patient with me, Hallas, and I truly appreciate it. It is a hard decision, especially with no family to guide me. I must ask for more time, though I promise you will not wait much longer for my answer."

Hallas nodded. "I understand." He kissed my cheek. "Make sure you get your windows closed good and tight. It is about to storm something terrible."

I nodded and entered my house. I watched Amlaith and Hallas hurry up the street back through the city through my front window.

-ooooOoooo-

There was a pounding on my door the next morning before the sun rose. My little house was literally quaking from the assault on the door. I pulled my cotton robe on over my nightgown. It was still raining and thundering outside.

I could not fathom who was possibly at my door. I expected it to be perhaps a young, expectant father or someone else with a pressing medical emergency. Many people came to my house knowing that I was a healer.

When I opened the door my breath froze in my chest. Boromir was standing outside in the pouring rain, soaked to the bone. I could not move or speak for a few moments and the man just stood and looked at me, rivers of water running down his face.

"Can I help you, my lord?" I finally managed to ask.

"I was hoping to come in," he replied calmly.

"Of course, my lord." I stepped back and allowed him entrance, my heart beating forcefully in my chest.

"Do you have a towel?" His steel grey eyes looked directly at mine.

I turned, going into my bedroom and returned with a towel. I handed it to Boromir, averting my gaze as I did so.

"I was on my way home from the Houses," he began.

I cut him off, "Then you are quite lost, my lord."

"I wished to speak to you actually, Lindy," he continued unfazed.

"You might have done that at a decent hour when we were both in the Houses, my lord," I suggested.

He sighed. "Stop with the 'my lord' rubbish. It is terribly irritating." He ran a hand through his damp hair. "You were always accompanied by that Ranger." I might have been mistaken but I thought he said the last bit with a slight sneer.

I did not speak. I ran my fingers over the rough kitchen table.

"Are you going to marry him?" Boromir asked as he dried his hair.

I folded my arms across my chest. "I do not see how that is any of your business."

"It is my business when you two have spoken of it when I am within earshot," he shrugged.

"It is a realistic opportunity," I said.

"A realistic opportunity?" He repeated.

I nodded my head. "I would rather be a Ranger's wife than the Steward-Prince's whore," I said sharply.

"My whore?" He demanded loudly. "You think I want you for my whore?"

"That is what it seemed like," I replied, not matching his angry tone. "You gave me an expensive dress, beautiful jewelry, and then paraded me around your court."

"Those were kind gestures!" He shouted.

"Everyone else present seemed to think that I was another of your mistresses." My tone was calm. "I do not blame you for wanting such a thing."

"That is not what I wanted!" Boromir growled.

"You do not have to defend yourself to me, my lord. Nothing else could be expected between you and me." I looked at the floor.

"Lindy!" The noise his fist made as he slammed it onto the counter was so loud that it mingled with the thunder. "You are not listening to me! I want you for much more than a mistress."

Boromir took one stride toward me, one of his huge hands going into my unbound hair and sharply jerking my head back. I briefly saw a fire raging in his eyes before his lips crashed into mine. His other hand crushed me to him, making me burn for him. I was pushed against the table the corner jabbed into the back of my thigh.

After a long moment, Boromir moved away from me. He bestowed upon me one last look before leaving. The door slammed behind him and he left me breathless, yearning for more of his touch.

* * *

><p>There you go! I hope you loved it! <strong>Let me know what you think!<strong>

Happy reading,

Avonmora


	10. Chapter 10

Alright...I can't even begin to apologize for how long it's been. Please forgive me. I just started my first semester of college in August and I've been adjusting. Hopefully I'll be able to write more now that I've got a schedule down pat. Anyways, don't be too mad at me and enjoy this chapter. Footnote: I still have Pippin being a Guard of the Citadel even though he wouldn't be doing it because Boromir died. We'll see where that takes us. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter Ten<p>

I went back to bed, but couldn't even close my eyes without seeing the fire that had raged in Boromir's eyes. I had the morning shift at the Houses the next morning and was so happy that Boromir wasn't present. The Lord Faramir did not look much better and I carefully applied the medicine to his wounds. There was no one else present in the Houses so I took a seat and pulled a book out.

I was snapped out of my book nearly an hour later when Pippin arrived. "How is Faramir?"

"Not much better, I'm afraid." I shook my head slightly. "I am not sure what it is, Pippin. The medicine should be curing him and it is healing the wounds, but he does not recover." I had been distraught about the situation, all of us Healers had been. We could not figure it out for the lives of us.

"I have faith in you," Pippin said encouragingly.

"Thank you, Pippin."

"Is anything else wrong?" Pippin asked me softly. "You look very tired."

Pippin was shaping up to be my best friend. I hadn't had many friends my own age since I moved to Minas Tirith. I had spent most of my time with Reallan and there weren't any other young women who weren't married or busy with young children that I had meant. It looked as though I would continue to have strange friends.

"No, I'm alright. There's just quite a bit of tension due to the War, as you well know," I covered quickly.

"I know. It is affecting all of us," Pippin replied. He looked very downcast as well.

"Are you worried for your friends?" I asked him gently.

"I worry about them every day." He looked at his small hands. "I haven't seen Sam and Frodo in so long. And I hope Merry is doing well with the Rohirrim."

"It must be very difficult not knowing anything." I put a hand on his.

"It is, Lindy. I just hope we all made the right decision to do this." His large, brown eyes were soft and vulnerable and my heart went out to all four of the little Hobbits. How could I be so selfish worrying about my own silly problems when they were fighting for the lives of us all.

"I must go now though," Pippin said suddenly. "I'm not a Guard of the Citadel for the Steward."

I smiled. "That is quite the honor. Goodbye Pippin."

After the Hobbit left I sat and thought, not about Boromir, but about Hallas and his offer. I couldn't marry him. I knew I couldn't. It wasn't because I all of a sudden thought that I could be with Boromir, because I certainly knew I could not be the Steward-Prince's wife. It was because I felt no spark for Hallas. He was a kind and gentle man, but I did not want gentle. He would provide a stable life for me, but there would be no excitement, no thrill in that life. I wanted to break the news to him as soon as possible.

When the door opened towards the end of my shift my breath caught in my chest when I saw Boromir. All of the feelings from the night before flooded through me, making my knees weak and my insides feel like dripping honey. Nearly immediately after the door closed Hallas entered.

"Good day, Lindy," he smiled at me kindly. The same smile that I had seen time after time.

"And where is Amlaith today?" I asked.

"He felt well enough to play with some of his friends. One of the mothers is looking after him for an hour or two."

I nodded and went silent. "Might we speak outside for a moment?" I finally managed to get out.

Hallas nodded and held the door open for me. "What would you like to speak of?" He asked hopefully.

I took a deep breath. "Your proposal, Hallas."

The smile seemed to slide off of his face as his registered my tone. He didn't say anything, but let me continue.

"I cannot marry you," I said simply.

The look on the poor man's face nearly broke my heart. "Is it something that I have done?"

"Of course not," I replied quickly. "How could you think that? No, you've been wonderful to me and I will never forget that, but I feel as though we would be making a huge mistake if we were to wed. You know as well as I do that it would only be a marriage of convenience for both of us. I don't want either of us to settle with convenient. I want you to be as happy as you possibly can be."

Hallas nodded. "I think I understand."

I smiled weakly, feeling as though a very heavy weight were lifted off of my chest.

"Thank you for being honest, Lindy." Hallas bent over and kissed my cheek lightly before walking off.

I stood alone outside for a moment longer before returning to the Houses. Boromir was sitting stoically next to his brother and didn't take any notice of me as I sat down in the chair I had occupied earlier. I opened my book and tried to read which proved nearly impossible.

Eldacar arrived, after what seemed like years and took my spot in the chair. I wrapped my shawl tightly around my shoulders and set off towards the market to purchase the food. I had promised Reallan I would cook dinner that night.

"Lindy, hold on a moment!"

I turned to see Boromir hurrying after me.

"I assume you turned your Ranger down," he said once he caught up to me.

"Again, that is hardly your business." I continued walking down the street and could hear the commotion at the market. I wanted the crowd to swallow me whole.

"Did you though?" He asked earnestly.

"Yes. Yes I turned him down. It would not have been fair of me to settle and determine both of the rest of our lives to be only mediocre. He deserves someone who loves him with everything they have." I didn't know why I was being so honest with Boromir, I just thought it didn't matter anymore.

"We all deserve that." Boromir took my hand and stopped my walking. "And if we all deserve that then I deserve you and I think you deserve me," he said quietly, but fiercely.

I pulled my hand away. "Do not be ridiculous, Boromir."

"I am not being ridiculous! You're all I think about. I can't get you out of my head and I won't be able to until you give up and just be with me and even then I won't be able to stop thinking about you!" He said fervently.

The passerby were watching us and I felt extremely vulnerable to their gazes. "Boromir, be quiet. You're making a scene."

"Scenes be damned! I'll make all the scenes I have to until you're mine."

It was then that I drug him into a side alley. I had been dreading this moment since I met him. It was my moment of truth.

"There is a real reason I did not agree to marry Hallas, Boromir. One I think you should know of as well."

Boromir looked at me curiously, but I looked away and talked on.

"There was a real reason I left Bree. There was a boy there and I was mad for him. I would have done anything to get him and he knew it. He told me he would marry me and build me a lovely little house and we could make a lovely little life together if only I would give myself to him, because he just couldn't wait to be married." I paused reliving those days of wanting to be with that boy. I felt every excruciating, suspenseful pain. I felt the anxiety and the need to please again. "I hardly hesitated. However, when he was through with me he never spoke to me again, but proceeded to tell most of Bree that I had seduced him and that I was an impure woman. A fortnight later he was married to some other girl."

I fought back the tears the memories had brought on. "I had shamed my family," I said shakily. "There was nothing else to do, but leave. And so leave I did and here I am."

I finally looked up at Boromir. "And now you understand why I can be no man's wife." I hugged my shawl around and walked off. This time he did not follow.

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><p>There you have it. Like I said I am terribly sorry for the long delay. I hope it won't deter you from letting me know what you thing. Please no hate comments or flames even though I'm sure you're all furious.<p>

Happy reading,

Avonmora


	11. Chapter 11

I am so so so so so so sorry that it has been so long. Shoutout to YAVANNA for giving me the push I needed to get back on the horse. I keep getting caught up in college and not giving myself any time to do what I enjoy. So here's what I enjoy doing. I hope you enjoy it as well. So sorry again. Your forgiveness would be much obliged.

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><p>Chapter Eleven<p>

Following my brutally honest encounter with Boromir I begged Eldacar to change my shifts from the day time when Boromir would be in the Houses to the night when no one was there, but the sleeping patients. It had been a very long time since I had felt so low or since I had dwelled on my awful past in Bree in so much. It was all I could think of. That and Boromir's shocked face when I told him the terrible truth.

Months passed and I didn't see him. There had been a glimmer of hope that I carried with me for a while that he would overcome my past and seek me out, but I was foolish to think so. The Steward-Prince of Gondor deserved someone whole and pure and I just simply wasn't.

For a while I considered relocating once more. I wasn't sure I could live in Minas Tirith and watch Boromir rule the White City and marry another woman. However, I couldn't leave. The war was finally about to reach its climax and, hopefully, soon be over. I had been informed that the dark armies were marching towards Gondor. From what I understood if no one came to Gondor's aid the prospects were not good.

I continued to work at night and stayed to myself during the day, sleeping and doing things around my house. I waited, for what I didn't know. It could be that I was waiting for the war to reach us in Gondor or that I was waiting foolishly for Boromir. Whatever I was waiting for though I could feel that I was about to fall over the cliff.

I was right. The armies reached Gondor shortly after the news spread that they were moving towards the White City. Early one morning as I was walking to my house from the Houses I could hear the sound of marching and clanging of metal beating on metal. I ran up to the top wall so I could see out onto the field. What I saw made my heart stop. Thousands upon thousands of men and orcs were moving toward us. The magnitude of the enemy was much too strong for the small Gondoran defense.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry but you need to get down into the city," someone behind me said gently. It was the leader of the archers. He stood in front of a small company of men all holding their bows. I needed and went back down to my level of the city.

Those poor brave men. They knew it was not a fight they could win yet they still stood resolutely to defend their city and their people until their dying breaths. My heart went out to them and to all of the people of the White City. What would they do when the enemy flooded the city as everyone knew they would happen? What would they do to protect themselves and their loved ones?

I could not think about it and so I busied myself in my house, performing mind numbing tasks until I could think of nothing else but sweeping the floor and wiping the surfaces with the cool rag in my hand.

-ooooOoooo-

A couple of weeks passed and I was spending all of my time at the Houses as was every other healer. The battles had begun and soldiers were being brought into us in a constant stream. I was faced with some of the most gruesome injuries I had ever faced. Up until then the worst injury I had ever dealt with had been Boromir's. The rest of my experience came from common injuries, ailments, and childbirth.

There were soldiers who had limbs missing and wounds that went all the way through the trunks of their bodies. I had never been repulsed by my job, but to hear the screaming and anguished cries made my stomachs turn over. I wanted to die every time I had to turn someone's request for more pain medicine down. We were simply running out and if it was not in the case of someone dying then the medicine simply couldn't be spared.

One night when the battle of Pelennor Field was in the enemy's hands the Houses were broken into by the dark Easterling men. There was a rush to move the patients to the back rooms and out of the way. I wasn't sure what the point was seeing as we had no defense. The enemy could kill all of us whether we were in the front rooms or in the back.

I snatched a medicinal knife off one of the tables to attempt to defend myself. In that moment I didn't see the folly. What was I supposed to do to defend myself? I was a healer. I had never in my life wielded a weapon. My talents were for curing people not killing them. In that moment though I did not think of those things. I only thought of my urge to not die then.

I was pulled back into reality when I looked over to see Eldacar struggling with one of the dark men. The terrible, wicked man shoved his sword all the way through my teacher and friend. I yelled out and it was then that they took notice of me. I couldn't care. I tried to run to Eldacar as he fell to the ground gasping and clutching his abdomen, the blood spilling over his fingers.

The men grabbed me and were jeering at me even as I yelled and tears blurred my vision. I watched my mentor take his last breath. His dedication was immense to give his life for his patients. I had never known such an immense feeling as that. However, I wasn't allowed to linger on said feeling as the men, three of them left in the Houses, began pulling at my dress and my hair. I was stuck there was nothing I could do. No one had heard my yells.

The top of my dress was shredded and my corset exposed. Rough hands grasped my breasts and pulled my skirt up. I was quickly and roughly forced to the ground. The men were speaking and laughing to each other in their coarse language as I was pinned. Just as I was about to close my eyes and let them get on with it I was almost impaled with a sword that had gone straight through the stomach of my main attacker. The man keeled over and the other two leapt to their feet leaving me to their own devices.

I scurried to a corner of the room and found my knife again. I was transfixed for a moment on the sight before me. It was Boromir who had saved me. As I stood and watched him fight I realized I had never seen anything quite like it. He was a warrior, born and bred. There was no emotion on his face even as he cut the first man down as though he were a blade of grass. He was stoic and intense. The only thing that wasn't statuesque was the flame that burned in his eyes. The pure rage that could only be seen in his eyes scorched over me for the briefest of seconds.

He was having a more difficult time with the second man, perhaps because they were both so enraged at that point. I gripped my knife in my hand and without thinking ran behind the man and plunged the knife into his neck. He stood for a moment in shock, crumpling a minute later.

Boromir and I just stared at each other for a moment. There was a lot of shouting outside the Houses. I could feel blood dripping down my arm and I wasn't sure when the injury had occurred. Neither of us said a word to each other. I don't think either of us knew what to see. There was too much chaos and I was still in shock from all that I had seen.

Boromir turned on his heel and ran back outside into the frays of the battle. I closed the heavy doors and tried to barricade them. Afterwards I crouched in a corner of the room. I had killed a man. Who was I? Would everyone take such drastic measures in such a situation? I was not a killer. I couldn't be a killer I was a healer.

My hands shook along with the rest of my body. The knife I still gripped tightly in my hand fell to the ground with a clatter that to me seemed louder than the battle outside. I looked at the tiny steel weapon and the dripping blood on the blade made my stomach churn. I desperately tried to find a bucket and retched and retched until there was nothing left in my body. I collapsed onto the ground and must have passed out.

Days later? Hours later? I knew not. I only heard the heavy door scraping open against everything I had set against it. I prepared myself to die. There was no one left to save me. I didn't move a muscle, not out of fear, but out of exhaustion and apathy towards my current situation.

"Lindy?" Someone called. There was a pause and then, "Lindy!" Heavy footfalls came toward me and I was hauled into someone's lap. I looked into Boromir's steel grey eyes. They were no longer hot with rage.

"It's over," he said gently. His large hand stroked my unbound hair as he cradled me to him. I would have never thought it possible to forget the things I had seen, but I did in his arms. He scooped me up and got to his feet. "We've won."

He walked into the street. Everything was chaotic that no one took any notice of the Steward-Prince holding an irrelevant woman and walking through the city. I must have dozed off again. The injured in the streets were too much for me to bear at that point on top of everything else.

The next think I knew I was being placed in my own bed in my own house. I opened my eyes to see Boromir reach for my skirt and instinctively, after what had passed with the Easterling men, struggled away from him.

"I mean you no harm, Lindy. I only mean to bind your wound." He tore the hem of my skirt away and then tore it in two halves. One he dipped in the basin of water and washed the dried blood from arm and the other he tied tightly around my bicep to staunch the bleeding.

"I'll be back later. I must assess the damage to the city and to the people." He straightened up and headed for the door. He stopped just short of it with his hand on the knob. "Lindy, I'm so glad you're alright. I was terrified that you wouldn't be." And with that he walked out and shut the door softly behind him.

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><p>There you have it. I hope it was at least somewhat worth the wait. If you're not holding a grudge about how long it took to post I would love your reviews. If you are holding a grudge I understand.<p>

Happy reading,

Avonmora


	12. Chapter 12

Again, I am so sorry for the delay. I don't have much to say. I know it's a little short, but I hope it is better than nothing. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter Twelve<p>

What finally moved me from my bed was my intense hunger. Again, I had no idea how much time had passed. I cared no longer for time. I found some bread that wasn't too stale and sat heavily at the kitchen table. My mind, involuntarily, flashed back to the night that Boromir had pressed me up against the very same table and kissed me with such a burning desire that I had nearly melted.

I tried to shake the thought away, but every thought I had was of Boromir. It injured my pride to admit that I wasn't irritated by the fact. It also injured my pride to know that I could never have him. He would never be mine. In the world we lived in it was just impossible.

My door opened and I wasn't even scared which probably was a problem. After everything I had witnessed it seemed I no longer possessed the ability to be frightened, only apathetic.

"What are you doing up?" Boromir asked softly.

"I was hungry," I replied.

"Well that is a good sign. Many victims of such situations many times do not recover their appetite."

"Of such situations?" I asked.

"Yes. I have known many men who have seen the gruesomeness of war and never recover. They are never the same again," Boromir said sadly.

"How do you separate your memories of such things from your everyday life?" I asked. I did not know how I would ever be the same. How could I go back to the Houses after what I had seen there; after the wounds and injuries the likes of which I had never seen?

"Somehow life goes on." Boromir shrugged. "Somehow you find a new routine to follow; a way to make life normal again."

I sat weakly at the table, tearing small pieces from the chunk of bread I had cut.

"You are strong, Lindy, so strong," Boromir said quietly. He sat down and reached across the table, staying my fidgeting hands. I didn't look to meet his burning gaze, thought I could acutely feel it on my face.

"Please, Lindy. I want to look at you," he nearly whispered. I looked up slowly and met his steel grey eyes. "You are so beautiful."

Before I would've laughed at him. I had been lying in bed for an extended period with no bathing or combing my hair. Instead, I ignored his comment.

He finally looked away. "You know before the War reached Gondor I was already in battle with myself."

I looked at him curiously, waiting for him to continue. "For quite some time I was in denial about my feelings toward you." A soft smile came over his face. "I did not want to believe that anyone had gotten through my wall. I have never let anyone in before."

"And then I was angry that you had gotten in without my permission. Angry at myself for not taking better care to protect myself. That anger was responsible for the night I kissed you. I was so angry that I felt that way about you and I lost control of my feelings."

Boromir paused and looked at me. I could not believe my ears.

"After that night though, after kissing you, I realized that I didn't want to let anyone else. If someone had to get inside my wall I was terribly glad it was you. I accepted my feelings after that and now I want you to accept them."

I was dumbfounded. Like Boromir, I had tried to push my feelings away to protect myself. Even if he felt the same way there was still no way a relationship could possibly work between us. I felt white hot anger flooding over me.

"How can you be telling me this right now?" I snapped. "What have I done to deserve this punishment?"

"Punishment? You think my love for you a punishment?" Boromir looked at me, puzzled.

"No. I think you telling me of your love is a punishment!"

Boromir looked beyond confused. "What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about? I am talking about the fact that you should have kept your feelings to yourself! What can be done about them? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Now I must live with the knowledge that you feel the same way about me as I do about you, but nothing else will ever come of this conversation." I stood up, but fell weakly back into the seat.

"What do you mean nothing can be done?" Boromir was beginning to match my angry tone.

"What can be done? You are the Steward-Prince of Gondor and I… and I am a mere healer," I said dejectedly.

"So that is what your resistance is about?" Boromir asked. "You are right, Lindy. I am the Steward-Prince, for now. The king is back. Who knows where I will stand a month from now."

I had not heard the news of the King, but that did not make me feel much better. Boromir would still have a very important standing in Gondor.

"Lindy, it's a new world! Everything is changing! We could make it what we want!" Boromir was now brimming with excitement. "You have to see this! We can do whatever we want!"

I still did not say anything. I looked at Boromir as his face changed from excitement to sadness as I did not reciprocate his bright disposition on our new world.

"The King's coronation is in two days. I would be honored if you came with me," he said, standing up. He went to leave.

"I don't have anything to wear," I protested weakly.

Boromir didn't look back at me as he left my small house.

-ooooOoooo-

The next morning there was a knock on my door. I got up from my bed and opened the door a crack.

"Are you Lindy?" A young man asked me.

"I am," I replied skeptically.

"I was asked to deliver something to you from the Lord Boromir," the boy held up a package so that I could see what his intentions were.

I opened the door wider and took the package from him. "Thank you."

I returned into my house and laid the package on my bed. I undid the wrapping and lifted the contents up. The blood red fabric was one of the softest things I had ever touched. Underneath the dress were beautiful black jewels; a necklace, a bracelet, earrings, and a ring.

"Oh I couldn't wear this," I said to myself. The dress was so beautiful; I had never seen such a red and the jewels were exquisite, but they would call too much attention to me. I had known Boromir would send something to wear, but I hadn't resolved to go to the coronation just because of that.

I was carefully folding the dress when I noticed a piece of parchment that must've fallen out of the package.

This red is my favorite color. I think you will look beautiful in it. Please me at the Citadel at half past ten in the morning.

P.S. The jewels were my mothers. She would have loved you.

I sighed and let the parchment flutter back to the floor.

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><p>There you have it! I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you thought. Again, so sorry for the delay.<p>

Happy reading,

Avonmora


	13. Chapter 13

I am so sorry for the wait. I know I know, you've heard it before. I have been extremely busy with school and work, but soon that will all be over. I feel as though this story is coming to a close so be ready. Enjoy this chapter!

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><p>Chapter Thirteen<p>

The sun rose on the morning of the coronation, but I had been waiting for it. I had been up nearly all night trying to make my final decision. I was so terribly torn between my mind and my heart that I thought I would go crazy if I thought about it anymore.

On the one hand, I could go to the coronation and forget all of my skepticisms and hindrances that I had come up with since I had met Boromir. On the other, I could not go and save Boromir the struggle that would indubitably come with courting me. The people of his own rank would ridicule him, he would have to justify himself to the King no doubt, and also to his brother. I was, selfishly, thankful for the fact that his father was no longer alive. He had lost his mind before Faramir was brought to the Houses of Healing and had thrown himself over the edge of Minas Tirith. That was one less obstacle in my decision making.

I held the dress up and pressed it against my body. It was beautiful, but the blood red frightened me. Not only had Boromir picked me to go with him to the coronation, but if I were to go he was going to make a statement about us. That he wanted everyone to see me with him and that I was not to be looked over. I sat down at my vanity and began combing my long hair out until it shone. I twisted sections up and pinned them in place, leaving a few curly tendrils down. It didn't look too bad and I left it as it was. I picked up a few different pots of makeup and began applying very soft, natural color to my cheeks, lips, and a smidge of kohl around my eyes. The makeup had become one of my vices since moving to Gondor. Everything was accessible in the marketplace as it had never been in Bree.

The dress flowed over me like water as I pulled it on. It fit like a glove and I wondered how Boromir did it. Since I had it on, I couldn't take it off. My fingers trailed over the beautiful bodice that had silver gold stitching. The long sleeves moved over the ground as my hands moved. My fingers then moved to the jewels. "They were my mothers." The note had said.

What kind of woman had she been to raise such a man as Boromir? I had done some research on Boromir's family. His mother's name had been Finduilas and she came from Dol Amroth to marry Denethor. That was all the book said. There was a painting next to the small excerpt about Finduilas. Her hair was dark and she had a kind, though unsmiling face. It was her eyes that struck me though, for they were Boromir's. They were grey and hard and soft at the same time. I looked at myself in the mirror and didn't recognize myself. I touched the onyx necklace throat and hoped desperately that Finduilas would have liked me as Boromir said she would have.

I took a deep breath and made my way to the Citadel. My heart was pounding and my palms were sweating profusely. What was I doing? I had weighed my different options, but had honestly not made a conscious decision, but here I was making my way to meet Boromir.

When I mounted the stairs to the top of the city I saw his broad back. He seemed to be pacing, obviously unsure if I were going to join him. His large hands were clasped tightly behind his back.

"Boromir," I said gently.

He quickly turned around and ran toward me, like a child. His strong arms wrapped around me and I was crushed into his barrel chest, my feet lifting off the ground. "Lindy," he breathed into my hair.

"I thought you might not come," he said as he set me back on the ground. I had been grinning like mad, until then.

"This does not mean anything is set in stone, Boromir." I said gently. "There is much to be discussed when the celebration is over."

Boromir nodded. "In that case, we shall celebrate until then."

We walked, my hand resting on his arm, to the ledge where the coronation would take place. Again my heart was pounding furiously at the prospect of being seen by so many people. I was on the arm of one of the most desirable men in all of Arda and I was dressed in a way that demanded people look at me.

"Are you ready?" Boromir asked quietly.

"I don't know. I don't know if I can do this," I stammered.

"Yes you can. I want you to be with me. Nothing else matters, Lindy." He looked down at me and with one of his large, rough hands stroked my cheek. There was no one around, but I looked around nervously at his affection. "Please," he murmured.

I took a deep breath and finally nodded. "Alright."

We walked toward the crowd. I could hear the murmuring. Boromir made his way through the crowd and in our wake there was silence and then hurried whispering. As we passed I caught snippets of what was being said.

"Who is she?"

"Who is that woman with Lord Boromir?"

"I have never seen her; surely he did not bring a harlot to the coronation?"

"Is she commoner?"

The comments hit me like a thousand comments. They would be another reason that would deter me from pursuing anything with Boromir. Perhaps I wasn't strong enough to endure the comments and ridicule. "Ignore it, Lindy," he said sternly.

Boromir led us to stand next to a stunning blonde elf in a tunic of green and a dwarf next to him.

"Boromir," the elf smiled.

"Good to see you, laddie," the dwarf said. He peered around at me. "And who is she, if I might be so bold."

Boromir chuckled. "Of course you can. Lindy this is Legolas and Gimli. Lindy served as a Healer during the war. She was the one who saved my life."

"Your services have been immeasurable," the elf, Legolas, said kindly.

I smiled at his compliment. "Thank you."

Soon there was music and the King came walking down the center of the people. He met the Wizard, Gandalf, who had been in the Houses of Healing with Faramir. The old Wizard took care of the ceremony and then the King sang a song in the old language that I did not understand, but when I looked up at Boromir he was smiling and his eyes were actually wet.

Unexpectedly, there was a movement among the people once more and there was a green banner moving toward the King. It was a procession of elves and the King came toward them and the banner was moved to reveal a stunning, dark-haired Elvish maiden. The King, without hesitation, kissed the woman deeply on the mouth and everyone applauded.

The people were led into the Great Hall by the King and his betrothed. Music started immediately and there were trays of food and drink being passed around.

"Please smile," Boromir whispered in my ear.

"Everyone thinks I am your whore again," I said bitterly.

"I could give a damn less what everyone else thinks, Lindy." He said sternly, he almost glared down at me in his determination. "I do care, however, that you are here with me and you are so beautiful."

I smiled, despite myself.

"Now dance with me," he demanded with a grin.

Boromir and I spent the night dancing together and eating and drinking. I do not recall a time in my life when I had ever laughed and smiled so much. Being twirled around in his arms was the safest I had ever felt. I felt as though I were no longer a fragment of a person, but a whole being. However, there was still the tugging at my heart for his sake.

I reached up to touch his face. "Can we talk on the balcony?"

Boromir stopped smiling and nodded. He knew what the impending conversation would be about. He led me out onto the balcony, leaving the noise of the party behind, into the starry night.

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><p>I hope you enjoyed it. I would love to know what you think as usual! Sorry I cut off before the juicy stuff. I'll try to have it up soon!<p>

Happy reading,

Avonmora


	14. Chapter 14

I know I have hardly posted lately and here I am posting for the second time this week. I just love hearing from you guys so I wanted to post again. Heads up though, I only feel as though there is one chapter left in this story. Also there is a little bit of a steamy scene at the end for **EarthMama!** Enjoy everyone!

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><p>Chapter Fourteen<p>

The night was beautiful. There was a gentle breeze that blew my free-hanging tresses softly. The moon was out and full and cast a brilliant light over the balcony. In that instant, with Boromir beside me I wanted to freeze time. I wanted to be able to stay at the coronation celebration and dance with him forever. Life was truly cruel to put us on such opposite ends of the social spectrum, nearly unattainable to one another.

"Lindy, you know this impending conversation is unnecessary," Boromir said, walking to the stone railing on the balcony. His gray tunic-covered back was to me. My body yearned to go to him and to wrap my arms around his middle; to press myself against him and inhale deeply his scent, soap and himself, musky and masculine.

However, I refrained and tried my hardest to pull myself back to my stark reality. I found the conversation to be extremely necessary, if only to me. I wanted, it seemed, nothing more than to be with him. I had guarded myself and him for so long and my resistance was wearing thin. I could not just let go though. I had to lay everything before him, everything he would face because of me, for his sake.

"It is necessary, Boromir," I responded quietly. I walked up next to him and stared out over the expanse of land before us. Just days before the raging battle had been fought there, but everything had been cleared away somehow. It seemed, to me, to symbolize the new start that everyone had in this new age. Everyone seemed to have that mentality, but I just could not. I wanted to prevent Boromir from making a decision that he might regret.

"I only want you to take into consideration what is best for you," I said.

"What is best for me?" He turned to look down at me, towering over me. "I know what is best for me and what would make me the happiest man in all of Arda and that is you, Lindy. You are the only thing that can make me happy."

"You say that now, but Boromir, have you thought of the logistics of such a relationship?" I questioned him. "The Steward-Prince of Gondor becoming involved with a woman of no noble bearing. No special blood runs through my veins."

"I care not for your blood, you foolish woman," Boromir growled.

"I know that you do not, but everyone else will. What will people say? 'Oh there goes Lord Boromir and his lady healer whore.' No one would respect any relationship you had with me," I pointed out.

Boromir sighed. "I do not need their respect. Why will you not listen to me? You could save your breath and your time. I only care to have your respect." He looked away. "And your love," he finished quietly.

That word jolted me. I wanted to give him every last bit of my love. My resistance was slipping, but there was one thing left to be discussed and it pained me to bring it up.

I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "My love is impure, Boromir." The sentence was barely audible.

Boromir scoffed at me. "Your love is impure?" He asked.

"You know what I mean." My cheeks flushed angrily.

"You mean you are not a virgin?" He asked cheekily, glancing at me sideways. "And here I am and I have been waiting all my long life to meet the perfect, pure woman because I am a perfectly pure man."

I stared at him in disbelief. He was making fun of me. Although I was frustrated at him, I was also a little relieved. I knew that he would not have been saving himself for his future wife, but I had thought that all men expected such things of their wives; to be pure, innocent, and naïve when coming to the marriage bed.

"Lindy, you are one of the most foolhardy, stubborn people I have ever met in my life." His hands gripped my upper arms. "I care not for any of your excuses. You seem to be pulling them out of thin air. Do you not realize that none of those things matter to me. I only want you. I would want you if you were a beggar in the streets of Minas Tirith or the daughter of king. I want you because you are a real person. I care not for your past because it has made you the person that you are, the woman I crave more than anything. If you had not made the mistakes you had and chosen the path you did then where would I be? I would be lonely, that is where." Boromir removed one hand from my arm and tilted my chin up to look into his steel grey eyes. "Do not deny me everything I want. Make me the whole man that I need to be. Only you can do it."

I sighed. I was embarrassed, but tears prickled my eyes. There was a lump in my throat and I realized that everything I wanted and had wanted for my entire life was in this man standing before me. I would regret not blazing this trail with him if I said no. My life would be empty, devoid of any ties to another human. I wanted him in every sense of the word, I wanted him.

I wanted to make him happy and to stand by his side forever. I wanted to share a home with him, to be a wife to him. I wanted to be a mother to his children; I knew they would look just like him. I wanted to give him everything that I possibly could to make his life whole and better because doing so would make my life worthwhile. I had never met someone who cared about me as much as Boromir did.

"Alright," I said quietly.

"Alright?"

"Alright. I want to be with you, if you will have me."

Before I knew it I was crushed into his chest. It rumbled against me with his laughter.

"That is the hardest I have ever worked in my entire life." Boromir was grinning from ear to ear and it was contagious. The mirth in his eyes made me smile and laugh.

"The side effects of being the Steward-Prince, I presume."

He nudged me gently. "There will be many of them that you will have to deal with." He looked into the palace. "It would seem the party has come to an end."

"So it has," I sighed.

"Let me walk you home. There will be raucous celebrations still going on."

I nodded and rested my hand on Boromir's strong arm. Heat spread from my hand throughout my whole body. I looked over and was immediately lost in my thoughts. I remembered what he had looked like in the Houses of Healing, his muscular chest bare. What I wouldn't give to be able to run my hands over that chest now.

I kept my eyes focused ahead as we walked through the city.

"Lord Boromir!" The drunken celebrators called out. "Hail Lord Boromir and his very fair maiden!"

I smiled and laughed. "They love you already."

"They are drunk," I laughed.

We finally made it back to my house and I pushed the door open. I stepped inside. We had hardly spoken on the way back.

"I do not have much to offer you, but would you care to come in?"

"I would," Boromir said huskily. "I do not need anything."

I nodded. "Very well then." I began to unpin my hair.

"Allow me." Boromir stepped closer to me and reached into my auburn tresses. His fingers, surprisingly, nimbly picked the pins from my hair. His fingers grazed my neck and I sighed involuntarily. My eyes closed of their own volition.

"Your hair is free," he whispered. I opened my eyes and gazed up at him. I could feel him, mere inches away from me.

His head bent toward me and his lips pressed against mine, his hands remaining in my hair. I moaned into his mouth and licked his bottom lip. Our tongues then melded together and I wound my arms around his neck, pressing my body against his. I was breathing heavily and our chests were crashing together.

Before I knew it I was being lifted onto the table and Boromir was in between my legs. One of his large hands went underneath the neckline of my dress to fondle my breast. My head fell back, hair reaching the table.

How I had gone so long without Boromir? I could not, in that moment, of anything but his hand searing my tender flesh, of his presence between my legs. His other hand was pushing my skirt to my waist. My legs wrapped around his back and I leaned back onto the table. His hair was hanging down in his face.

He bent over me and kissed my neck, biting gently. "Boromir," I moaned into his hair. I could not take the separation much longer. "Please," I nearly begged him, pulling him closer.

Boromir straightened up, his hands resting on the table on either side of my hips. "No, Lindy. Do not tempt me."

"What?" I asked breathlessly, sitting up.

"If we are going to do this, we are going to do this right. On our wedding night." Boromir gently kissed my forehead and went to the door. "Goodnight, Lindy." He said over his shoulder before shutting the door behind him.

I lay back down on the table, my dress bunched at my thighs and my hair a mess around my face. I sighed loudly, frustrated but smiling.

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><p>I hope you loved it. Let me know what you thought! I love comments and constructive criticism and of course praise!<p>

Happy reading,

Avonmora


	15. Chapter 15

This chapter is kind of long and drawn out, partly because it is the last one and partly because there was a lot to get in there. I hope you enjoy it. I have a proposal. What do you all think of a **Sequel of Oneshots?** Let me know what you think in the comments. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter Fifteen<p>

The next month passed in a haze of pure bliss for me. My situation was unreal, something that I never could have dreamt of. I had given up my resistance to Boromir and he immediately began to permeate into every aspect of my life. I could not go a moment without thinking of him.

One day, however, I was jerked out of my happy thoughts. Reallan came to me after working all night in the Houses.

"Lindy," she said, sitting at my table. I sat a bowl of porridge and a glass of goat milk in front of her. "It is about time you returned to the Houses. We have been stretched very thin without Eldacar I am afraid."

My stomach dropped. "Oh… oh I do not know if I am ready to return, Reallan." I was honestly not sure if I would ever be able to step foot in there again.

"We need you though. The people in the Houses need you, Lindy. You cannot be selfish now."

"I am not being selfish there. I have seen far too much in that place," I said quietly.

"Please give it some thought. You are an incredible young woman with a real gift for helping people," Reallan said. She finished her breakfast and rose slowly to her old feet. I led her to the door and then leaned against it once it was closed.

The rest of the day I was in a nervous state of mind. I paced around my small house, wringing my hands. In being truthful with myself, I had to admit that I missed working in the Houses, I missed helping the people there, but I was afraid that if I returned I would have too many vivid memories to be able to focus on the patients. What good would that be? The other healers would then have me on their hands on top of the patients.

There was a resounding knock on my door as the sun was setting. I walked slowly to the door and opened it. Boromir stood there with a bouquet of flowers in one hand. I ushered him without a word.

"I was expecting to smell food cooking," he jested. I had invited him over for dinner, but as I had been immersed deep in my thoughts all day I had completely forgotten about cooking. "Is everything alright, Lindy? You do not look well."

I sighed. "Oh I do not know."

"What is the matter?" He asked sitting in one of the kitchen chairs. He pulled me into his lap and rubbed my back gently.

"Reallan dropped in this morning and told me that I should consider returning to the Houses," I began.

"Of course you should, you belong there." Boromir looked up at me. "I saw how well you work there and how many people you have helped."

"I know all of that, but I am too scared to return. I do not think that I can overcome my most recent memories of that place," I rested my head on his broad shoulder.

"Oh Lindy." Boromir was quiet for a moment. He then took both of my hands in his. "I know what that feeling is like. To have seen terrible things pass is one of the most difficult things to overcome, but I believe that if anyone can, it would be you. You are so strong, Lindy. I have seen men return from battle never to be the same, but I do not see that same reaction in you. You have continued to live and to live fully. You can still smile and laugh and be merry." He kissed both of my palms. "I believe that you should take that inner strength back to the Houses. Those people there could use your smile and laugh. I know that you are truly frightened of that place and not being selfish, but you have overcome so much thus far in your short life and I can only think that this would be another of those instances."

Who was this man who had come into my life? How had I gotten so lucky to come across him? In that instance I was truly thankful for the path my life had taken.

"You think so?" I asked.

"I know so with all of my heart." He smiled gently up at me. "If you would like, I will go with you."

My heart was beaming with gratitude. I could only nod.

ooooOoooo

A week later, Boromir was knocking at my door again. I had on my plain dress for the Houses and my hair was in a knot at the nape of my neck. I gathered my things and opened the door.

"There is the woman who stole my heart," Boromir chuckled. "You look exactly as you did when I was in the Houses."

I smiled up at him, though I remained silent. I was too nervous to speak. Boromir seemed to understand and did not prod me into conversation.

Something deep within me urged me to halt as we drew nearer to the doors of the Houses. I stopped abruptly.

"Lindy," Boromir murmured.

I looked up at him beseechingly, begging him silently not to make me go. He reached out and took a hold of the door knob at the same time that he took my hand. For a moment I pulled against him, but in the end his strength won and I found myself over the threshold of the door and inside the Houses once more.

"Oh Lindy, there you are!" Reallan exclaimed. "Take care of that soldier in the far bed. His wounds need new salve and redressed."

Before I knew what I was doing, my things were set down in a corner and I was walking to the end of the room with a pot of salve and roll of bandages. I had pleasant conversation with the young soldier as I took care of the wound on his abdomen. When I looked up I saw Reallan and Boromir watching me, huddled together. I could only smile at the pair of them.

The rest of the day was a blur of activity as I resumed my old duties and immersed myself so fully in them that I could not think of anything else. Boromir spent the entire day watching me and helping when he could and was waiting for me when the sun was setting. I gathered my things and headed out with him.

As we approached my home I smiled up at him and got on my tiptoes to give him a chaste kiss. "Thank you," was all I said.

ooooOoooo

It was nearly a month later when I was leaving the Houses of Healing, when Boromir came barreling around the corner. "Lindy!" He shouted.

I turned around quickly. "Boromir?"

"I have very exciting news!" He exclaimed.

"Clearly," I laughed. "What is it then?"

"Aragorn has offered the Princedom of Ithilien." Boromir was beaming, he was truly proud of himself.

"That is wonderful news. Congratulations," I smiled up at him.

"Oh no, I have not accepted yet."

I looked at him curiously. "And why ever not?"

"I told the King that I would get back with him as soon as I could. I could not accept without knowing if you will join me."

I had known that I would be faced with something like this eventually. The new king could not overlook Boromir. I had been preparing myself for this. It would be another personal obstacle that I would have to get over.

"You will join me, won't you?" Boromir was no longer so excited, but seemed nervous.

I took a deep breath. When I had quit fighting my feelings I had recognized the potential of what I would be getting myself into. "Of course I will."

ooooOoooo

The day before we were to leave, I was being prepared for a dinner by Reallan. She had come over to spend one last afternoon with me and also to help me get ready. Aragorn had invited Boromir and me to dinner and we would be being joined by Faramir. I had never been so nervous, not even when Boromir had invited me to his honorary dinner.

Reallan was putting my hair up and one of the dresses Boromir had had made for me. I had a whole collection to take with me the following day.

We were both being very quiet as it was a sad occasion. "Are you sure you will not come with us, Reallan?"

"Lindy, I have told you. I am much too old to start over now."

"But what will I do without you?" I blinked furiously as tears pricked my eyes. Reallan had been my only friend in Minas Tirith. She had cared for me unquestioningly.

"You will be just fine without me," she chuckled lightly. "You have someone else to take care of you now."

I sighed and was finally ready. I made my way through the city as the sun was setting. Boromir met me half way there. "You look absolutely beautiful," he said.

I smiled and took his hand. We made into the palace and were ushered into the great hall where there was a table set up. Aragorn, Arwen, Faramir, and the shield maiden, Eowyn were all waiting for us already.

"Ah, there they are. The Prince and Princess of Ithilien!" The King stood up to greet us. Boromir bowed slightly and I curtsied deeply. "None of that friends!"

We took our seats. We were seated across from Faramir and Eowyn while the king and queen were at the heads of the table. The conversation picked up, mostly between the men, speaking of politics. We women talked of other things. Eowyn was nervous about adjusting to Minas Tirith as Faramir would be acting as Steward to the king. Arwen and I both gave her helpful tips about the city and life within it.

It was quite late when Boromir and I left. As we would be leaving very early we said our goodbyes to everyone and "good lucks" were passed around. I made my way back to my small home one last time.

ooooOoooo

I woke before the sun was up and put my riding outfit on. My last crate was packed up and someone came to get it as I left my house. It was completely empty and I left my key on the kitchen table. Tears pricked my eyes as I shut the door and closed it on my past.

I made my way down to the stables. Boromir was there already and my mare was saddled and waiting. She had been one of the seemingly hundreds of gifts he had bestowed upon me. I mounted the horse and we rode out of the stables.

We paused at the gates. Boromir reached out and took my hand. "Are you ready?"

I looked back at the city. It had at first been my escape and then it had been my haven, the place where I had met Boromir. My life had changed so much in my time in that city. I had changed so much.

"I am."

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><p>There you have it! The end! Let me know what you thought and also about the sequel proposition.<p>

Happy reading,

Avonmora


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